All That Glitters
by let's go bother snape
Summary: *Book 2 in the Water and Gold trilogy* Marvel and Serena are supposed to be dead. Yet somehow, they wake up to find themselves being shipped off to a new home: one that holds promises of happiness and safety. They have no reason to suspect this wonderful place, but if there's one thing the arena has taught them is to never let their guards down- for all that glitters is not gold.
1. Chapter 1

**Took me a looong time, but here it is- the sequel to Water and Gold!**

**First of all, a big thanks for those of you who have been faithfully waiting for this story. I also apologize for said waiting- If everything works as planned, you won't have to wait much longer for the remaining chapters.**

**As for the story itself, there's something I need to say: it will feature a whole new society- wether it is the same as Panem's or utterly different, that's to be answered later. Anyway, this is my first attempt at a dystopia (not based on the Hunger Games, that is), so I would really appreciate it if you told me what you think about it :)**

**And last ,but not least- I'd like to thank SpeedyHanna for taking the time to read and review Crystal Clear (the prequel to this trilogy/series- make sure to check it out!). I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you will enjoy this story as well!**

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**Chapter 1**

_Serena_

I close my eyes and inhale deeply, enjoying the scent I know so well- of fish, of salt, of sand… of the _sea_. It clings to my skin in the form of tiny drops of water- and even though I know I will never be able to go back, I feel as if I'm home.

_God, I missed that smell._

I'm startled when the music restarts, so loud that it seems to reverberate through my entire body, pounding against my ribcage along with my heart, and shaking the wooden floor of the deck beneath my black, high-heeled sandals. My eyes shoot open and I tighten my grip around the barrier that stops me from falling headfirst into the abyss- it's true that what lies below me is a very inviting beach, but I still don't like heights. I'd rather take the stairs, thank you very much.

I turn around slowly and scan the open air restaurant that has been turned into a dance floor, with food and drink booths scattered around. This welcome party under the stars just feels so… _unreal_. I feel like I'm about to wake up anytime, with a tracker jacker nest exploding next to my head.

The feeling that all of this is wrong only grows stronger when I spot David in the middle of a circle of cheerful fancied-up people, all laughing and applauding as he makes a weird, frenetic dance, his red curls swinging back and forth; not because he's making a fool of himself- his dance is really funny, actually.

But because just a week ago- in fact, just a few hours ago-, both of us, along with a big chunk of the people here tonight… were dead.

_**Twelve hours earlier**_

_Marvel_

I swing my bare feet off my hospital bed and place them carefully on the floor, a bit unsure if I can walk in my current state. Everyone around me just seems so pale and sick- especially Cato, who is covered in stitches, like he was torn open and then put back together; it must hurt like hell- that I assume I look just as bad.

"Don't worry, I'm here," Serena says softly, never letting go of my hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

I tremulously get on my feet and smile down at her. "Really?" I ask teasingly. Serena is so tiny that I easily tower over her- she's over a foot shorter than I am- and she's gotten thinner since we were in the arena. "Don't you think you would be squashed like a bug if I happened to stumble and fall on top of you?"

"I'm willing to take the risk," she chuckles. "But if you think I can't handle it…"

Serena motions to release my fingers from her grasp, but I hook an arm around her waist and pull her closer, pressing her body against mine. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll know what to do in case delicate little me decides to crash on the floor."

"Of course I do." She smiles. "I hope you don't mind to be rolled over."

"_Attention tributes, please report to the deck_," the pleasant voice repeats, this time louder.

"We should go," I say, slinging my arm around Serena's slender shoulders. Most of the other tributes have already walked past the- dorm? Hospital room?- door, which I now see leads to a long corridor with small, round windows lined along the walls.

"Do you think they are trying to trick us?" Serena asks insecurely, when we catch sight of a staircase across the hall. On top of it is an open trapdoor, through which the sun is shining. "Maybe we should be careful."

"We have nowhere else to go." I shrug. "Besides, weren't you just saying we should try and find out where we are?"

"You're right." Serena straightens up and begins walking faster, but I notice she's gotten slightly closer to me.

Around us, the other tributes- if we can still be called that- are heading towards the stairs at different paces, and even though I don't know half their names, some faces are terribly familiar; I find myself shamefully gluing my eyes to the ground- something I have never done in my life- when Thresh strides past me with little Rue clinging to his back. The boy from District 10 whose name I never bothered to know casts me a hateful glance before disappearing through the trapdoor, but the red-haired girl behind him stops and stares at me and Serena, seemingly intended on making us uncomfortable- and succeeding.

"Uh… Hi?" I say tentatively, when the creepy stare begins to annoy me.

The girl stares at us for a little longer, taking in my arm around Serena's shoulders with her fox eyes, and then a smile spreads over her face. "I knew it," she mutters under her breath.

I raise my eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"That you two were a couple," she replies. "I mean, it was quite obvious…"

Serena turns red at the girl's remarks, but I notice she's also trying not to laugh. "I'm Serena," she cuts off shyly, reaching out her hand.

"Robin," the red-haired girl replies as she shakes Serena's hand. She turns to me. "And you're Marvel," she adds matter-of-factly, causing me to shift uncomfortably. "Do you know where we are?"

"No," I reply quickly, beginning to climb the stairs and dragging Serena along with me. "Do you?"

"I don't know either." Robin is hopping from step to step, making her resemble a fox even more. "But something tells me we're about to find out."

I watch her disappear through the trapdoor, feeling absolutely puzzled; I had never spoken to that girl before- though I tried to throw a spear at her while we were in the arena-, and yet she was talking to us in a perfectly casual manner- minus the spooky I-know-who-you-are part. "What was that all about?" I ask.

"No idea." Serena shrugs, seemingly as confused as me. Then she goes up the last three steps, pulling me with her.

I'm not able to repress a _Wow_ from coming out my mouth once we step into the daylight- we're on what appears to be one of those ancient ships my best friend Flint talked about all the time, all built in wood and complete with white sails. However, judging from the button panels I spot every now and then and the abnormal speed at which we are moving, I'd say this ship has some little improvements.

Suddenly, I hear Serena gasp, as she takes my arm off her shoulders and approaches the border of the ship; intrigued, I walk until I'm right behind her. She glances at me, taking in the inquiring look I shoot her, before turning her head again. "I never thought I'd see the ocean again," she says in a strangled voice.

I follow her gaze and instantly widen my eyes- I had seen pictures before, but they couldn't quite capture the effect the sunlight has on the water, or the sound and movement of the waves- soothing, yet at the same time strangely exciting. I open my mouth to say something, but no sound comes out.

Serena looks up at me with a playful gleam in her eyes. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asks. I nod in response, wrapping both my arms around her and resting my chin on top of her head. "You told me you wanted to see it before you died," Serena reminds gently. I hold her tighter- somehow, I think I _need _to feel her heartbeat against my own chest, and the scent of her hair, to keep me from going insane again. From the moment I opened my eyes on that bed, I have been being constantly assaulted by images from the days in the arena: the red 'MOO' I carved on the District 10 boy's stomach; my spear hitting Rue's body; and most of all, Serena being stung to death by tracker jackers.

"Is everyone here?" The same voice we heard earlier is now coming from behind us. We spin around to see it comes from a short, plump woman up in a stage, holding a microphone- the situation is terribly similar to the reaping, even though this woman has a pleasant, non-altered look, unlike Marcus, the escort back in District 1. "How strange, there's only twenty-two of you," she chuckles, in an attempt to break the ice. "You must be wondering where you are, and who I am." Serena tilts her head, indicating we should get closer. "My name is Helen," the woman goes on. "Welcome aboard the _Red Lion_!"

Robin's hand shoots right up. "Excuse me," she interrupts. "But-"

"Questions will be answered later," Helen chirps. "First, let me explain your situation- right now, we are crossing what was formerly known as the Atlantic Ocean. In about twenty minutes, we will enter the docks of Ceres." The tributes fall silent, and Helen seems pleased that she's got our attention. "Ceres was established a long time ago, before what you know as the Dark Days. It is a wonderful, peaceful place, technologically very advanced- our biggest achievement is called the Life Serum-"

"What does that have to do with us?" Cato's voice cuts off harshly, voicing our thoughts. I can't help but notice he's clutching Clove's hand, the way I am holding on to Serena.

"Well, it has _everything_ to do with you!" Helen sounds delighted by the question. "Ceres always stayed in the shadows, having decided to ignore Panem's existence, while Panem did the same- this way, each country could rule its people the way it pleased. However, when the Dark Days came, the Capitol sent an appeal. Ceres people are pacifists, we do not believe in war, so we had no weapons. But we agreed to send the Capitol some supplies and medicine, as long as we remained anonymous. We couldn't risk being exposed at such a… delicate time of history."

"Of course, when we heard about the brutal way the Capitol had decided to punish the districts, we imposed another condition: every year, they would send us the fallen tributes, so we could revive them with the then recently discovered Life Serum- Ceres's population was decreasing, so the annual addition of twenty-three healthy young men and women was exactly what we needed. That's what happened to you!" I swear, if Helen's smile broadens any more, I'll have to shield my eyes from the reflection of the sun. Who _has_ teeth like those?

"You are now, my dear children, part of a community called The Awakened. Ceres will be your new home- you can go back to school, get a job… Maybe even," Helen's eyes flash- or perhaps it's just the light- in the direction of where Serena and I are standing. "Start a family!"

This time, four or five hands shoot up. I'm surprised to see Serena raising her hand as well. "Yes, dear?" Helen asks, her eyes set on Glimmer.

"What kind of jobs?" Glimmer inquires eagerly- I bet she's already thinking about her designer career.

"Whatever you feel like doing!" Helen exclaims; Glimmer beams, earning glances from the boys around her. It's incredible how she still has that effect. "You." Helen points at Chip, who is practically jumping up and down.

"How does this…" he hesitates, "Life Serum thing work?"

"Well, I'm no expert," Helen replies, "But I believe that once inside your circulation, it restores full body function, even after your hearts stopped beating- as long as the body isn't too damaged. Luckily, neither of you suffered an excessively violent death!"

Is she serious? I have a scar on my neck that proves otherwise.

"Is it safe?" Chip asks. "We won't e-explode or something?"

Helen tilts her head back and laughs. "Of course not! People in Ceres use it all the time! That way we never get sick and live a long, healthy, happy life! And by joining the Awakened- the ones who were revived as well- you will get to live one too!"

The way this woman says it, we would think we are being brought to some kind of paradise- and somehow we are: I mean, a place where I can do pretty much whatever the hell I want with my life, and where I can actually _hope_ Serena and I have a future? But she seems to be forgetting a tiny detail- that we, her _dear children_, were all trying to kill each other before they came along. And some of us- namely me- succeeded. More than once.

"Alright, we're almost there," Helen announces. "One last question!"

She points at Serena, who drops her hand and stands on her toes, making sure everyone sees her. Or, knowing her, she's probably trying to look threatening. This thought makes me smile- there's nothing in this world that can make Serena scary, which is exactly what _should_ make her scary. "Excuse me," she says politely. "But when do we get to see our families?"

Helen's smile vanishes. "Oh, dear," she says. "I'm… I'm afraid you will never see them again."

_Serena_

"What?!" I gasp in a slightly hysterical voice, before I can help it. Around me, the other tributes- Awakened, that's what we are called now- seem agitated.

"I'm sorry, but I thought I had made it clear," Helen utters, "That Ceres will be your new home. You will have to get totally detached from your old life-"

"They will spend the rest of their lives thinking we are dead?" Glimmer asks incredulously.

"Indeed they are." Much to my pleasure, Helen seems uncomfortable. "If we let you have any contact with them, we would reveal our existence…"

"Then what's in the coffins they got sent?" Clove asks. "If we are here?"

"Replicas," Helen replies patiently. "Perfect replicas of your bodies were made before you were revived. I can assure you no one will know the difference-"

"What else did you do?" I ask shakily. I'm usually a quiet person, but everything Helen said just sounded so out of place- like something out of a nightmare- that I seem to be speaking without thinking.

"Baby-face," Marvel whispers next to my ear. He just says that- the nickname he got me thanks to my size and allegedly childish face-, but he uses a tone that is both warning and fearful. I decide to drop the subject-only for him, since I'm still freaking out over the fact that I'm alive and well, and yet I will _never _see my sisters or my friends again.

"We did nothing more," Helen answers defensively. "As soon as you… let's say, _died_, you were given a dose of Life Serum- some of you needed surgical intervention as well- and kept in a coma until all your fellow tributes arrived. You were then awakened at the same time," Helen eyes me, but as soon as she sees I don't intend to continue arguing, she goes on. "But since you have different body builds, the smallest ones were the first to wake up. That's why you," She points at Thresh, Cato, and then Marvel. "May feel a bit of discomfort. But that's all- we did you no harm."

Suddenly, we're all startled by a loud buzz that goes off- except for Helen, who just seems relieved. "Oh, we're here," she says cheerfully. "You will now meet your counselors."

"Counselors?" Marvel mutters, as he begins to walk towards the wooden plank that leads to the dock, still holding my hand. I notice he hasn't let go of me since he woke up.

Not that I mind- I admit I'm scared, no matter how wonderful and perfect Helen says our new home is.

I see that she was right, however, as soon as we set foot on said new home. As far as I can see, we're in an island, with cozy-looking striped houses, just like the ones we had back in District 4, and clean, non-crowded streets. I have to repress a cry of joy when I catch sight of the line of white sand that extends to both my sides, until I can no longer see.

_Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I'll like it here._

In front of the _Red Lion_, a small crowd has gathered; the people are staring at us, wide-eyed, and shouting things like "District 6? Are you from District 6?" and "Do you know my family? We used to live by the factory-", but Helen is leading us away from them.

"Those were some of the other Panem Awakened," Helen explains. "The entrance of newcomers is always an exciting event. Who knows, maybe next year you'll be there!"

I can't help but notice how this reminds me of the arrival of the tributes to the Capitol. Except these people _were_ tributes once, and aren't here to see us fight to the death, but in a desperate attempt to know news of their families.

"My work here is done," Helen announces, turning to us. "Your counselors are here." She smiles and begins to walk away. "Good luck, and see you next Monday." The curiosity over meeting our counselors is too strong for me to spend more than a second wondering why Helen is so sure we will meet again.

In front of us are now two women, both in their forties: even though both have blonde hair and light eyes, they couldn't be more different from each other. One is tall and muscled, with green eyes that would be disturbingly similar to Marvel's, if it weren't for the fact that one of them doesn't seem to move right; the skin around it is deeply scarred, and a horrible image of that eye being popped out comes to my mind.

The other is smaller and lean, with bright blue eyes and a much more sympathetic look than her partner. However, both women have huge scars- the tall one has a particularly gruesome one on her forehead that adds to the ones around her eye, while the other has a thin, long white line on her neck.

"Fresh meat!" the tall one shouts amusingly, sounding much younger than she probably is. I look up and notice Marvel is staring at her as if he has just seen a ghost. "Let's do this quick- I'm hungry and I haven't had breakfast because I was out here waiting for you. Alright, raise your hand if you were killed in the bloodbath!" Eleven hands, belonging to six boys and five girls, shoot up. "Oh, that's an odd number. Who died next?" A girl that I recognize with a twist of my stomach as the one I helped kill on the first night of the Games tremulously lifts her hand. The tall woman looks delighted. "A girl… perfect. No need to make any changes, then. They're all yours, May."

Her partner shoots her an annoyed look. "My partner meant to say," she starts, "That those of you who died in the bloodbath are to come with me. I'm Maysilee, by the way. And this is Silk." Silk nods, apparently her way of saying hello. "We're Awakened like you, and we're here to assign you your apartments and roommates.

"Roommates?!" Clove practically shrieks.

"Yes, princess," Silk snorts. Clove's expression is murderous- she was probably never called 'princess'. "I didn't like it either, when I got stuck with May here." She punches Maysilee's arm jokingly. "But she grew on me."

"Anyway," Maysilee continues, as if she hasn't heard Clove and Silk. "Your roommate will be, depending whether you are a boy or a girl, the boy or girl that died directly before or after you. This means you will be sorted by death order. I know it's strange, but you will get used to it. Now, normally we assign ten apartments that hold two people and one that holds three, but since there are twenty-two of you, we will have to assign two people for each of the first eight apartments, and three people for each of the remaining two."

_Uh?_

"That doesn't make any sense. Why can't we just get our own apartment?" Cato asks. For once, I have to agree with him- right now I couldn't feel more confused.

"Long story short, no one gets to live alone," Silk snarls. "Trust me, you will thank us later."

"She's right," Maysilee agrees. "But consider yourself lucky you're one in a group of twenty-two. In our year, there were nearly forty of us- and that's because not everyone made it here."

"Maybe we should thank the squirrels and the volcano that we didn't have to share our toilet with six other people," Silk says lightly.

Maysilee rolls her eyes. "One last thing," she says. "You need to know that among the Awakened who were in the Games, we have a… special way of greeting. Call it a tradition. So, whenever you are presenting to another Panem-born Awakened, you're supposed to say your name, district, edition of the Games, and how you died. I don't know why it's like this, but I guarantee you it will avoid a lot of questions later, and even help you make friends." She raises her wrist, where the tattoo of a red eye is visible. "This is how we recognize each other."

Marvel raises his eyebrows and leans forward, whispering, "Maybe we should run. I think these people are crazy."

I chuckle quietly, but stop right away, since Maysilee is still talking. "For example: I'm Maysilee, I'm from District Twelve, and I died in the 50th Hunger Games from a bird attack." She makes the_ See? It wasn't _that _hard _face Finnick used to pull when he tried to convince me to dive into the ocean from a cliff by jumping ahead.

"And I'm Silk," her partner adds. "District One, 50th Hunger Games, and I died because my axe decided it wanted to become a boomerang."

This causes some of the tributes- especially Cato and Clove- to laugh, but I notice that Marvel has widened his eyes at Silk again.

"Before we lead you to your new homes…" Maysilee says softly. "I'm curious… Which of you are from District 12?"

She meets only silence, until Cato blurts out harshly, "They're not here."

This seems to surprise both Maysilee and Silk. "They're not?" Maysilee asks. "But that means…"

Cato crosses his arms, looking even more menacing than the last time I saw him- partly due to his stitch-covered face. "They won. Both of them," he replies bitterly.

This statement is met with surprised murmurs, until Clove adds, "They had a rule change saying there could be two victors from the same district."

An expression of pure joy suddenly crosses Maysilee's face. "But we haven't had a victor since… That means Haymitch did it!"

"I bet he told them to use the force field," Silk snarls.

"Would you forget about that?" Maysilee asks, visibly annoyed. "It wasn't his fault you missed-"

"Well, _excuse me_ if my aim was a little off, thanks to my eye having been _popped out_…"

Glimmer clears her throat, causing Maysilee and Silk to turn around. "Our apartments?" she reminds impatiently.

"Oh, right," Silk says sheepishly. She signals us to get closer, while Maysilee does the same: the group I'm in consists of Glimmer, Marvel, the boy from District 10, Chip, Rue, Robin, Thresh, Cato, and Clove. "Let's see…" Silk seems to be sizing us up. "You first," she orders, pointing at me.

"Me?" I ask, startled. That eye is kind of creeping me out.

"Yes you, with the good-looking boyfriend. Come on, I won't bite." I hesitantly walk up to her; even though she only spoke to me, Marvel still has his fingers wrapped around my hand, and follows close on my heels. "Name and district?" Silk asks, without tearing her gaze from the clipboard she's now holding.

"S-Serena Brooke. District Four," I stammer.

"Ahh, a Career." Silk raises her eyes- or should I say, raises one eye- and smiles mischievously. "It says here you placed eleventh. You should be ashamed."

Even though it's obvious she's joking, I still feel color crawling up my face. Marvel tightens his grip around my hand, a muscle in his jaw twitching- but he still looks frightened by Silk's presence.

"Whoa, keep your shirt on," Silk says amusingly, when she sees his face. "I was just kidding." She turns back to me. "According to this, your roommate will be Glimmer Adams… Hey, which one of you is Glimmer?" she shouts. I give my new roommate a radiant smile that she retrieves, as she walks up to us.

I can't believe my luck- Glimmer was, apart from Marvel, the only person I truly liked in the Career alliance. If I really have to live with someone, I'm glad it's her.

"Twelfth? You placed _twelfth_?!" Silk exclaims indignantly, glancing at Glimmer's file. "You and I need to have a little talk, young lady, about something called _District 1 pride_…"

Glimmer places her hands on her hips. "Can we have our keys or not?"

"Sure," Silk says grumpily, holding out said keys. "Follow this street, and you'll find a building with a '74' over the door. Your apartment is on the 4th floor."

I can feel myself turn pale, already picturing the never-ending stairs- or worse, long elevator rides- and the windows, too far from the ground to my taste. "She's scared of heights," Marvel informs harshly, squeezing my hand.

"Alright, then." Silk lets out an exasperated sigh. "You can keep the one on the first floor." She gives us our new keys, and seems to remember something. "I almost forgot! Tonight you have your welcome party down at the restaurant Paradise Wave. Just ask around, and you'll know where it is. You won't want to miss it."

_Welcome party?! This just keeps getting stranger._

"Thanks," I mutter. Then I turn to Marvel. "I have to go now. See you la-"

I stop mid-sentence when I take a look at Marvel's face- his eyes are even wider than before, and he's grasping my hand like a man who's about to drown. "No. Don't go," he pleads in a low voice.

"Marvel," I say kindly, blushing again at the need in his voice. "It will only be for a while. And you know where to find me."

"Okay," he agrees. For a moment, I'm shocked by how fragile he looks, but he seems to recompose himself. "Maybe I'll pay you a visit later," Marvel teases, winking.

I smile, even though I'm still worried about him, and stand on my tiptoes so I can kiss his cheek- I can only reach Marvel's shoulder, so he's forced to pick me up by the waist, something I've always enjoyed. Then I turn around and follow Glimmer towards our new house.

However, when I cast one last glance at Marvel, I see that his smile has vanished.

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**I hope this wasn't too confusing xD**

** More to come soon! What did you guys think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here's chapter 2! Hopefully I will be able to post a chapter a week (maybe more if enough people ask for it).**

**Please let me know what you think! :)**

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**Chapter 2**

_Marvel_

As I watch Serena disappear, I can't help but feel worried- and lost. I know I might be getting freakin' paranoid, but I get the feeling that every time she gets too far away from me, something bad happens. I didn't mind it when a certain District 12 tribute almost strangled me- I was the one who got hurt that time. But if something ever happens to Serena because once again I'm not by her side, I won't be able to bear it.

"You, the tall one," Silk calls. I turn around slowly to face her; I had always thought I had gotten my cockiness from my father, but apparently it runs on my mother's side too. "Name and district?" she asks, when I get close to her.

"Marvel Gould. District 1," I reply blankly.

I was pretty sure she didn't know who I am, so I'm surprised when my aunt actually lifts her gaze from her clipboard and mutters, "I need to have a word with you before the party." I nod, and the anxious expression leaves her face. "Well, aren't you lucky?" she asks, louder. "You get to have two roommates! Cato and Thresh!" she calls, her eyes set on the small amount of people behind me.

_Fuck._

I'm not able to repress a loud, frustrated groan. Who the hell assigns these rooms? Out of all the roommates I could have, _nothing _could be worse than getting stuck with Cato and Thresh- except perhaps getting the boy from District 10, whose name apparently is Luke, and is now being assigned his apartment along with Chip. They both hate my guts, hate each other's guts, and I hate their guts! Something tells me only one of us will make it to the party tonight alive.

"What?!" Cato strides towards us as soon as he hears his name- saying he is furious would be a _big_ understatement. "I refuse to share a house with Lover Boy Number Two here!" he spits, shoving his finger right under my nose, his eyes shooting daggers at my aunt.

"I'm not thrilled either," I snarl. "I'm not really looking forward to seeing you in a towel… that is, in the small chance you ever shower."

"I think you're forgetting," my aunt says amusingly, as Cato inhales deeply, "That you have another roommate." Cato's nostrils flare, and her grin grows wider- apparently, the desire to piss Cato off runs in the family as well.

"He's also forgetting," Thresh says slowly, in his quiet voice, "That he's Lover Boy Number Three. So I'm not really looking forward to it either."

Cato's face turns purple; he either didn't hear Thresh's name when my aunt called it, or something happened between those two in the arena after I was gone- maybe both. Anyway, I'm glad I'm out of this, for a change.

"I BEAT YOU ONCE, I CAN BEAT YOU AGAIN!" Cato vociferates, though Thresh doesn't even blink.

"Cato! Drop it off. Please." Clove's face has become red- everyone within hearing range has their heads turned to us- and is glancing nervously at Thresh.

"You better listen to her," my aunt says, studying her nails. Then she adds, seemingly to herself, "God, I love Career fights."

"This doesn't end here!" Cato spits, reluctantly accepting his keys and storming off towards the apartment I will be forced to share with him and Thresh.

"Excuse me," Thresh says politely, as soon as Cato is gone. "But which one is our floor?"

"Fifth." My aunt still looks amused.

"Thank you."

Thresh begins walking towards the path I saw Glimmer, Serena, and Cato take, without giving me so much as a glance or a word; I end up following him, since my aunt doesn't seem to be paying attention to me anymore.

The building she indicated- the one with the '74' pinned over the door- is a six-story apartment block, painted in pale yellow, its balconies facing the sparkly sea; the front door leads to a hall with large windows that let the sunshine in, with a couple of elevators just around the corner.

I almost burst out laughing when I spot a still angry-looking Cato next to one of the elevators, obviously not knowing which button he should press. Thresh and I summon the elevator and he joins us without a word. None of us say anything as the number over the button panel indicates we are going up, but the silence is far from comfortable- the tension is clear, and I'm pretty sure Cato is about to burst into one of his fits.

There are two doors on the fifth floor, but we have no problem finding out which one is ours- there's a small plaque with our names written on it, while the one on the other door indicates we will be Clove, Robin, and Rue's neighbors.

_Great,_ I think, _When Cato and Thresh finish me off, Rue can come over and laugh at me._

Cato struggles with his key for a while before he manages to open the door with a bang; he's the first to get in, and when I follow him inside and he closes the door behind me, I get the strange feeling I may never get out, at least not in one piece.

The apartment is relatively large, with a living room, a small open kitchen, and a corridor that leads to what I suppose are the bedrooms and the bathroom. It actually looks quite comfortable, and everything has been neatly kept in its place.

Too bad Cato's about to wreck everything.

I barely manage to take a good look around before he crashes against Thresh, shouting, "YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO CLOVE!"- I've never seen two bulls going at each other, but I honestly don't think it's that different from what is going on right before my eyes. They ignore me for a while, punching, kicking and destroying everything on their way, before seemingly getting tired and standing face to face, breathing heavily. "She told me," Cato pants, "That you did it because of your district partner." He smiles broadly and points at me. "But have you forgotten that _he_ was the one who killed the little girl?"

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit._

Before I know it, Thresh's heavy fist is buried in my face, sending me stumbling backwards a couple of steps, before he grabs my throat and slams my head against the wall- something that has happened to me before, with a much less threatening opponent. "YOU COWARD! You killed a _child_!" he vociferates, inches away from my face. "Don't deny, I know you did it!"

I'm already seeing sparkly dots in front of my eyes, but I still manage to stammer, "I'm… sorry." And I mean it- the image of little Rue helplessly struggling to escape from me will haunt me forever.

Thresh seems so taken aback that he loosens his grip on my neck enough for me to take a deep breath. "You're… _sorry_?" he asks, as if he doesn't believe it.

Behind him, I can hear Cato snort. "Of course he is," he says mockingly. "He gets all lovey-dovey whenever he's around that useless bit-"

This time I'm the one who lunges forward, taking the opportunity that Thresh is too surprised to do anything, and punching Cato's stomach as hard as I can. Not my wisest decision- he's about an inch shorter than I am, but almost twice as wide, and soon I'm seeing starts again; but I can tell he's tired from fighting Thresh, and I manage to give back each blow I receive.

Suddenly, Thresh grabs the back of my shirt and drags me away from Cato. "I think that's enough," he says calmly, eyeing Cato, who is lying on the floor with a cut lip.

I wipe the blood from my nose. "We might as well admit it- we can't stand each other," I say bitterly.

"Yeah, but whether we like it or not, we're stuck here," Thresh says. Maybe I'm seeing things- after all, I just got beat up by two guys who are larger than me-, but I think he's calmed down from the moment I said I was sorry for killing Rue. "So we better try and get along. Truce?" Thresh holds out his hand, which I shake a bit hesitantly.

"Truce," I agree, feeling relieved.

We both look at Cato, who is sitting up, his eyebrows furrowed as always. He stares back at us as we raise our eyebrows, silently asking him if he agrees on a ceasefire. "Fine," he finally consents. "But I call dibs on the biggest bedroom."

_Serena_

I stand in the doorway and scan my new bedroom- it's smaller than the one I had in Victor Village back home, but the walls are painted with the same shade of baby blue, and through the window I can see the beach, not further than 500 yards from the back door of the building. I guess that's where I'll be spending my days.

However, as I look with more detail, I notice the room is deprived of any decoration, or anything remotely personal: there's a bed, a small table, a closet, and a wooden trunk with a '4' painted on it, but that's all.

I kneel next to the trunk, the necklace Grandma gave me dangling from my neck, and carefully open it, unsure about what I should expect to find. Inside there are clothes- piles of clothes, vaguely familiar, but not the ones I used to wear when I lived in District 4. Are they Felix's designs, that I wore during my brief visit to the Capitol? Yes, there's my interview dress, sparkly as always, and the red top Glimmer forced me to put on that time Marvel and I fell asleep by the pool…

And among all those fancy designer clothes, suddenly I find something that brings tears to my eyes- a fairly simple, deep blue dress, the only one that wasn't designed by Felix. I had it on the last time I saw my sisters, Sally, and Annie, when my name was drawn at the reaping and Marina asked me to be her baby's godmother- a baby I will never meet…

It was also the first time Marvel and I laid eyes on each other, even though we were still miles apart, on the train to the Capitol.

Suddenly, I realize I'm crying- not just crying, but sobbing over some old clothes. I should be happy- I'm alive, Marvel's alive, and we have _years_ together ahead of us- but I still can't get everything I left behind out of my head.

"I can't believe they sent _this_," Glimmer's disgusted voice says behind me. I turn my head, wiping a tear: like me, she's still in the white tunic all the tributes- _Awakened_- were wearing when we woke up, revealing that I'm not the only one who's lost weight since we 'died'- it's impossible to know how long we were in a coma. It could be either days or months. She's also holding her interview gold gown.

"I thought I had gotten rid of it," she goes on. "It's not even that pr… Oh my God, are you okay?" In three strides of her long legs, Glimmer gets right next to me. "It's not because of District 5, is it?" she asks kindly.

I shake my head, even though my heart has jumped now that she mentioned it- before we entered our own apartment, we took a look around the building, and found out that the 6th floor penthouse is empty, and that every floor is occupied by boys and girls. We exchanged apartments with the girls from Districts 3 and 6- their names are still on the plaque, though their trunks weren't here when we arrived- thanks to my fear of heights, but if I had known our front neighbors would be David and the boy from District 5, I would have stayed on the fourth floor. Of course I don't mind David's presence- he waved cheerfully at us as he entered his new house- but the look his roommate gave me- of pure terror- made me hate myself. Especially at the sight of the scar I left when I slit his throat.

"Don't tell me it's Marvel." She frowns. "I know you were looking pretty cozy back on the ship, but please tell me now if I need to go and shake some sense into that hard head of his again."

I manage to crack up a small smile. "Not, it's not him. I just… I just miss home. I know it's stupid." I rub my eyes. "I wasn't even this emotional up until I got reaped. I don't know what is wrong with me."

"It's not stupid," Glimmer assures me. "Do you think I won't miss my family as well? But now we're here, and there's nothing we can do about it, so the best we can do is move on. As for the crying… I think you already know my advice on it."

This time, I laugh. "Let me guess…" I say amusingly, "Shower and new clothes?"

"Well, they're not exactly new, but I'll see what I can do." Glimmer pokes the see-through gown she's dropped on the floor. "Then you can help me get rid of this. What do you say we set it on fire?"

"Wouldn't be the first time someone did that to a dress," I chuckle.

We burst out laughing, but none of us says what is really on our minds- that we would give anything to be in Katniss's place, on our way home.

* * *

There's only one bathroom, so after I take a shower, put on a white dress and comb my hair, I decide to give a little life to my room while I wait for Glimmer to come out of the bathroom. I dig through the trunk, but I only find the objects I was given when I was lodged in the Training Center, like boring books about wigs, a toothbrush, and a small make-up bag. Something tells me I'll be spending _a lot_ of time picking up shells to make wind chimes- these naked walls are getting on my nerves.

It is just as I'm sizing up my window, wondering how many wind chimes I could squeeze next to the curtains, that my stomach decides to growl loudly, reminding me I haven't eaten in a long time.

I walk to the kitchen, where I find Glimmer with her perfectly curled blonde hair peeking from the fridge door. As soon as she hears me get in, Glimmer pulls her head from the inside of the fridge and looks at me, her emerald eyes wide open.

"I don't know how to cook," she says in a slightly panicky voice.

My jaw drops. "Don't look at me! I can't cook either."

Glimmer slams the fridge door. "What?!" she asks incredulously.

"I was the youngest sister," I say defensively. "Naida wouldn't even let me come near the stove! She said I would burn the house down. What's _your_ excuse?"

"I had a cook for that," she replies sheepishly. "I don't think I ever set foot in my kitchen!"

"That's just great." I sigh. "Now what?"

"Well…" Glimmer eyes the stove hesitantly. "It's probably not hard. We could try an easy recipe…"

It takes us about twenty minutes to figure out how to work with the stove, and another ten to find a recipe in the book we spot on one of the shelves that doesn't involve anything too complicated. By the time we decide to give up, there are ingredients scattered everywhere, and a really stinky goo boiling inside a pot.

It's just as we are contemplating the possibility of going around the building begging for help that we hear the doorbell ring.

"I'll go," I say, while Glimmer checks the consistence of our meal- apparently it's cement-like.

The first thing I see when I open the door is a mane of ebony curls, framing an adorable, dark-skinned face, inches below mine. "Oh… Hi, Rue," I say, half-surprised, half-embarrassed, given that the last time I saw her, I accidentally threw a knife at her head.

Rue doesn't seem to remind the incident, and if she does, she's forgiven me. "Can I come in?" she asks timidly, her big eyes filled with anxiety. "Please."

"Sure." I step aside so she can get in. "So… What brings you here?" I ask, as she takes a look around the apartment.

"I needed a place to hide," Rue confesses.

"Who is it?" Glimmer appears from the kitchen, her hair a little frizzy from our failed attempt at cooking. "Hello-" She pauses, widening her eyes at Rue, seemingly realizing she doesn't know her name. "Hello!" she repeats.

"This is Rue," I help, amused. Turning to the younger girl, I ask kindly, "What were you saying about needing a place to hide?"

"Clove is mad," she explains. "Robin hid her lucky stone, and now she can't find it."

Glimmer gives me a meaningful look- we both know an angry Clove is almost as bad as an angry Cato. "And can't she… _persuade_," Glimmer seems to be choosing her words carefully, so that she doesn't scare Rue. "Robin to give it back?"

"I guess she could," Rue replies. "But you see… The problem is, she can't find Robin either."

I nod, knowing all too well how she feels. "So she's decided to take it out on you," I finish for her. "Don't worry; you can stay here as long as you want."

Rue exhales, visibly relieved. "Thank you," she says, sounding sincere; then she sniffs the air. "Do I smell burning?"

"Well…" Glimmer rubs her neck. "We were trying to make lunch, but we don't really know how to cook."

"We're sorry we don't have anything to offer you," I add.

"It's okay," Rue says cheerfully, before darting towards the kitchen. Glimmer and I exchange glances before following her, only to find her small frame flickering around, and hopping on the counter.

"Rue," I say, when I realize what she's doing- she's cooking. "You don't have to do it."

"I don't mind it," she says lightly. "We didn't have much to eat back in District 11, so I actually enjoy when I get the chance to do this." My face heats up with shame- I've always had enough to eat but never bothered to make my own meals, and now there's a starving twelve-year-old making my lunch. "Besides," Rue adds, "You let me stay here. I don't want to owe you."

"You don't owe us anything," I assure her, thinking about my knife- and the spear Marvel threw out of revenge for my own death.

"Yes, I do," Rue insists, her eyes glittering. "I was the one who pointed that tracker jacker nest to Katniss. I'm so sorry, I was just trying to help her-"

Hearing Rue mention the tracker jackers is like being punched- I can still feel that furious swarm blocking my view, my hearing, my breath.

"You were there?" Glimmer interrupts, sounding incredulous- though her voice is a little shaky. "Wow, she's good," she praises, nodding at me in admiration. "No wonder she got to the final eight and we didn't."

I know Glimmer's just being nice- I can tell she's feeling the stings penetrating her skin as well.

But can we blame Rue? Although all of us were scared kids- even Cato and Clove, as tough as they may want to sound- Rue was the smallest, the weakest, while we actually looked forward to killing tributes. And she's still the one apologizing.

I shake my head. "You did the right thing," I tell Rue. "We are… were Careers. Why did you come to us? Aren't you afraid?"

"No." Rue smiles. "I watched you in the arena. You didn't act like the others… You care about people."

I can't bring myself to correct her. Sure, I care about Marvel… but I almost killed him once.

"But why didn't you ask Thresh for help?" Glimmer asks sympathetically. "Clove is scared of him, she told me herself."

Despite its dark tone, Rue's skin turns pale. "I-I don't want to bother him," she stammers.

I look at her, confused, before realization dawns on me, like a bucket of cold water has just been poured over my head.

Rue's not afraid of Thresh- judging from the way he chased after me in the arena, I'd say he truly cares about her. She's afraid of his roommates.

Of one in particular.

"I'm not bothering you, am I?" Rue asks quickly, mistaking my silence for disapproval.

"Of course not!" I assure her, smiling.

Rue seems pleased, and keeps cooking in silence, stopping every once in a while to teach us the correct way to cook pasta. Soon, the stink of our previous attempt at a meal is replaced with a delicious scent that has our mouths watering; the three of us sit by the table, not talking as we empty our plates.

After the initial conversation, Rue seems to be back into her bubble of shyness, if the fact that she doesn't look me or Glimmer in the eye indicates anything. The whole time, I'm wondering what's on her mind, and praying that Marvel doesn't keep his promise and decides to show up.

"So," Glimmer starts, after a while. "Tell us about yourself, Rue! How was it like in District 11?"

I let out a relieved sigh. Glimmer's an expert at making people feel comfortable around her, and she sounds genuinely curious.

Rue inhales deeply before excitedly beginning to describe her work in the orchards, how the mockingjays were her special friends, her passion for music. I feel my heart tighten a little more at every word, especially when Rue tells us about her struggle to get food- I've never felt more ashamed of myself in my life.

"But it was all worth it," Rue assures us. "Especially when I managed to get food for my entire family. You see, I have five siblings, so it was kind of hard," she finishes modestly.

A smile spreads across my face. "I have five sisters too! But they're all older than I am. What about you?"

"I'm the oldest," Rue replies, visibly proud of that fact.

"Really?" I ask, surprised. It's hard to imagine how someone so small and young can be the oldest of six even smaller children. But then again, by the time I was born, Marina was only eleven years old, so it's not that unusual. "I bet you're a wonderful big sister," I praise, earning a radiant smile from Rue.

"I'm an only child," Glimmer informs hurtfully. "But I've always wanted a little sister." She turns to me and messes my hair. "Maybe that's why I kind of adopted you."

I raise an amused eyebrow. "You do realize we're probably the same age, right?"

"Don't be silly," Glimmer snorts. "I'm seventeen, you're what? Fourteen, fifteen?"

"Seventeen," I correct her, laughing.

Glimmer widens her eyes. "Really? No wonder Marvel calls you Baby-face. I must tell you I'm relieved, I always thought he was a tad bit too old for you, even though you're perfect togeth-"

"Glimmer," I whisper, glancing at Rue. "Can we please not talk about _him_?"

"Fine." Glimmer rolls her eyes. "I won't mention him, if you agree to be my little sister. Deal?"

"Deal."

Glimmer turns to Rue. "This lunch was delicious," she praises, tapping her stomach. "What do you say I help you choose something to wear for the party in return?"

"I-I'm not sure if I'm going," Rue stammers, looking surprised.

I repress a snort- Glimmer seems to be recruiting another little sister.

"Of course you are!" Glimmer exclaims. "And Serena is going too. Aren't you?" she asks, looking at me with a devilish smile.

"I don't know," I reply. "I'm not really into parties-"

"You're going. You're wearing black. End of discussion. And you," she smiles at Rue. "Will look _perfect_ in white."

"But I left all my clothes in my apartment," Rue says nervously, clearly trying to escape Glimmer's plan.

"No problem. I'll get them," Glimmer volunteers promptly. "I can deal with Clove. Maybe when I come down I'll call Dave from next door." The smile she gives Rue widens. "He can give a male opinion on our choices! And you're about the same age, I'm sure you'll get along."

"Glimmer!" I cry, shocked, while Rue turns slightly red- I'm all too familiar with Glimmer's habit of playing matchmaking. "She's _twelve_!" I hiss.

"Okay, okay." Glimmer laughs and opens the door. "I was just trying to help."

_Marvel_

What are you supposed to wear at a welcome 'congratulations-you're-not-really-dead' party? A vampire costume?

I frown at my trunk, filled with Zama's creations, which I finally managed to drag here. I had been assigned another room, but it was the biggest one, so Cato forced me to move my stuff to the smallest bedroom.

"You placed the lowest," he said arrogantly. "So you get the worst room."

I didn't even dare to disagree with him, especially when I saw my new room- it's only slightly smaller than the others, and it has a wonderful ocean view. I had to restrain myself from laughing at his stupidity. _Besides_, I thought with a smirk, eyeing the window and the waves below, _It's the perfect place to bring Serena._

Of course, Cato wasn't happy with just nearly breaking my face and forcing me to move my stuff- he had to go and announce we should share tasks. Which means that Thresh cooks three times a week, while Cato and I do it on the remaining four days and are in charge of the cleaning. So, in addition to helping Cato clean up the mess he made with his little fit, I was assigned the best part of the house…

The toilet.

I don't even want to think about what awaits me. Especially since Cato's favorite dish is bean stew.

I agreed without contestation- let's face it, out of the three of us, I'm the weakest; it only takes me a glance in the direction of the mirror to further prove that: it's true I haven't lost my athletic frame, but my skin is unhealthily white, contrasting with my black pants, and dotted with the purple bruises from the earlier fight. And then there's the scars- one on my neck, reminding me I got killed by a small girl from the Seam, and one across my chest, from the baker's knife. How humiliating.

But then I remember Serena's delicate fingers tying the bandage, and her patient expression as she tended the wound, and I smile, thinking it was worth the pain. I have something that Cato and Thresh don't, after all- a girl that I love, and that loves me back. I don't think I've ever seen Thresh demonstrating any emotion while speaking to a girl, and Hell will freeze before Cato finally admits his feelings for Clove.

I grumble to myself and button the white shirt I chose over my chest, hiding the scar. I roll the sleeves up and decide to leave it untucked. I've always hated to dress up, and the only reason I'm attending this stupid party is because Glimmer will probably force Serena to go- and seeing her in a dress more than makes up for it.

Just as I'm tying my shoelaces, Cato pokes his head through the door without even knocking. "That creepy lady who gave us the keys is here to see you," he informs tonelessly, before disappearing without another word.

I walk to the living room, where I find my aunt carelessly taking a look around, with her hands in her pockets. Thresh and Cato are nowhere to be seen. "Where-" I start, but she raises her hand, cutting me off.

"I asked your friends if I could have a word with you in private, and they very kindly agreed," my aunt says with a sly smile.

I stop on my tracks and eye her hesitantly- now that I can look more closely, I can see that despite the obvious height- and this is not mentioning her personality- differences, she actually reminds me of my mother. The resemblance becomes more evident when my aunt drops her juvenile- and disturbingly similar to mine- attitude and the mischievous grin she was giving me turns into a motherly smile.

"They're not my friends," I manage to say.

"It doesn't matter," my aunt dismisses, taking a step closer. "So… You're Lacey's son."

I nod. "And you're her sister," I add, not knowing what else to say- my whole life, I thought my mother's sister was dead, and now here she is, wanting to talk to me. I have no idea how to act.

Much to my surprise, my aunt eliminates the space between us and gives me a bear hug. I just stand there awkwardly, unsure if I should hug her back. "You look so much like her," she says, pulling away and studying my face.

"Erm… Thank you," I stutter.

"How is she?" my aunt asks eagerly, widening her uneven eyes.

"She… she's-" At the last moment, I stop myself from saying _happy_, even though that's what my aunt wants to hear. My mother was far from that- I could see it in her eyes every day when I got up early to train, but I was so sure that I would win the Games that I always thought there was no need for it. "She did well in life," I say carefully instead. "She mentions you a lot."

My reply, however, doesn't seem to be enough. "Did well in life?" my aunt asks, wrinkling her nose. "What do you mean with that?"

"She owns a jewelry store," I reply. "It's not big, but-"

"I get the picture," she interrupts impatiently. "But I asked you how she's doing, not how big her bank account is."

"I'm sorry," I utter, running my hand through my hair with frustration. "She's… she's alright, I guess. She was against my volunteering and that caused some little fights with my father, but nothing serious."

My aunt squints at me. "Your father is Garnet Gould, isn't it? I remember Lacey having a huge crush on him. She used to watch him fight with his sword, even if she hated training," she says. Then, she confesses, "I can imagine him fighting with her over something like you volunteering."

"They might have their differences, but my parents love each other," I say, suddenly annoyed.

"I don't doubt that." My aunt seems alarmed by my change of mood. "What about siblings?" she asks, changing the subject. "Do you have any?"

"A sister and a brother." I cross my arms- even though she's family, and I'm glad she's here, my aunt is still a stranger. "Crystal and Jem."

My aunt nods. "What about your girlfriend? Are you going to tell me about her?"

"No," I reply, turning my face. "What about you, uh- should I call you Aunt Silk? _Auntie Silk_?" She tilts her head back and laughs, but gives me an approving smile. "Do you have any family?"

"Actually," Aunt Silk says with a playful gleam in her eyes, "I was just waiting to speak to you about that. Your cousins are dying to meet you."

"_Cousins_?" I ask, in shock. I have _cousins_?

"What's the surprise? Did you think I was some old maid?" My aunt shakes her head, amused. "No, I'm married with four children. Unfortunately, neither my oldest daughter nor my youngest son could make it, unlike the twins-"

"They're here?" I widen my eyes.

"Yes, they're outside, but they won't get in unless you want them to. Should I call them?"

"Sure," I answer, suddenly feeling curious.

My aunt smiles and steps to the door, opening it and talking to someone I can't see in a hushed voice. When she gets back, she's accompanied by a boy and a girl that must be about my age, both with fiery red hair and green eyes. Like me, they're dressed as if they are attending a party, and while the boy seems pretty comfortable with the fact he's about to meet his cousin, the girl looks like she just wants to be swallowed by the ground. "These are Rufus and Gretchen," my aunt informs. She turns to her children. "And this is your cousin Marvel."

Rufus cockily holds out his hand, which I shake in the same fashion. His freckled nose is ridiculously perky. "Pleased to meet you," he says.

"You too." I drop his hand and motion to shake Gretchen's, but she doesn't even move or says a word.

"Well," my aunt says quickly, "I have to go now. I trust you three will get along. Goodbye!"

Then, without another word, she turns around, leaving me with my snooty cousin and his mute twin sister.

"Look," I start, as soon as my aunt is gone. "As much as I'd like to stay here… I'm meeting someone, and I'm already late, so I have to go."

"Who?" Rufus asks, spreading his tall figure on the couch.

"That's none of your business," I say, annoyed.

Rufus looks at me through the corner of his eye. "My mom told me about your girlfriend. Is she hot?"

I don't manage to reply the way I want to- which would maybe involve wiping the floor with his face- because Cato and Thresh choose that moment to come back. "I'm starving," Cato snarls, opening the fridge door and proceeding to open a milk carton, most likely to pour the milk directly down his throat. "Who the fuck are you?" he asks, when his eyes fall on my cousins.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Rufus says lazily from his spot on the couch, causing Cato's face to turn as red as his hair.

"Listen, buddy," Cato spits, "I don't know how you got in-"

"These are Gretchen and Rufus," I inform, before another fight breaks off. Although I wouldn't mind seeing Cato go at Rufus's throat for a change. "They're… Silk's children."

"Oh." Cato points the now empty carton at my cousins. "Are they our guides or some shit?"

"Yes," I reply tonelessly.

"Well, I don't need chaperones," Cato says arrogantly. "I'm going to that party alone."

He storms out of the apartment to mark his words, grabbing a grey jacket in the process. I focus my attention on Thresh, who still hasn't spoken a word, and notice he's observing Gretchen- who is silently studying him back.

Then, to my utter surprise, he does the strangest thing- he smiles.

Unable to take any more weirdness, I put on my black jacket and dart out of the door Cato has left open, followed by my two ginger shadows.


	3. Chapter 3

**As promised, here it is! **

**Before we get back to the story, I want to thank Candyland0530 for reviewing the last chapter- I hope this answers some of your questions!**

**Enjoy :D**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Serena_

I don't tear my gaze away from David as he pulls Rue to join him in his dance; she seems surprised at first, but then laughs and goes along with it. My lips curl up in a smile- she's such a sweet little girl, looking adorable in her simple white dress with a pink ribbon that Glimmer picked for her, and she's been through so much… If anyone deserves to have some fun, it's her.

But that doesn't change the fact that this feels wrong.

This place is just like the Capitol, but backwards- instead of prepping us up and covering us in glitter before tossing us in the arena and expecting us to kill each other, they took us _out_ of the arena… and now we're supposed to pretend nothing happened, that everything's alright, that the horror isn't real. Absentmindedly, I scratch the purple eye that was stamped on my wrist as soon as I got here.

"It's so that you can identify the other Awakened and they know you're new arrivals," the woman that let us in said with a smile. "Tonight, you're here to make friends!"

I don't feel like making friends. I feel like curling up next to Marvel like I did in the arena, and try to forget that we're trapped here forever- but I'm afraid the tracker jackers will come back as soon as I close my eyes. However, Marvel's nowhere to be seen- I've been looking around the deck for the past thirty minutes, but apparently he decided this party wasn't worth his time. I confess I feel disappointed; it would be great to have a familiar face around, since Rue is obviously not missing the point of the party and making friends, and Glimmer went to get us something to eat but never came back.

It's just as I'm wondering if she would get mad at me if I just left and went back to our apartment that Glimmer chooses to appear, holding a sandwich in each hand.

"A sandwich? Really?" I ask amusingly, when she gets close enough to hear me, breathing heavily like she's just run all the way from the food booth.

"That's all I could grab," she pants, looking frenetically to both her sides. "You won't believe this… I was only trying to get some food," She gestures with her sandwich, while I take a bite on mine and listen to her, "And a boy started talking to me out of the blue, and throwing pick-up lines at me-"

"I thought you were used to it," I say, raising my eyebrows. During our bonding time with Rue, Glimmer told us all about the boys that chased her like a pack of hungry dogs back in District 1, but that weren't exactly into her personality.

"I am!" Glimmer widens her eyes. "I threw every insult I knew at him, but he didn't even flinch! He kept going-"

I cover my mouth and try to drown out a laughter, but Glimmer notices and frowns. "It's not funny," she says grimly.

"Sorry," I chuckle. "I just can't imagine someone _not_ being thrown off by your insults. What happened next?"

"Well, when he bent down to get a drink, I grabbed the sandwiches and ran as fast as I could. I shouldn't have brought this dress," Glimmer whimpers. "Red draws too much attention."

I cock an eyebrow. "I highly doubt it's the color that's drawing attention," I say, eyeing Glimmer's strapless, form-fitting dress. She has a policy of wearing whatever she wants no matter what, as long as she likes it, and I think she's absolutely right about that. I'm just not too comfortable with the little black dress she forced me to put on- 'little' is the key word- that uncovers most of my legs and some of my chest. That fact doesn't bother me, but it's impossible to bend down or climb stairs in it.

Glimmer ignores my remark and grabs my arm, digging her nails on my skin. "We're too exposed here," she says anxiously, dragging me away from the barrier and the ink-black view of the ocean.

"I can't believe _you_'re afraid of some guy who tried to hit on you," I say, fighting back the tears that have come to my eyes- Glimmer really needs to cut her nails.

"I'm not afraid of him," she protests, looking over her shoulder. "I just don't want to come across him. Speaking of which, where's Marvel?"

"He's not here-" My voice trails off, as something catches my eye. "Never mind, there he is."

I free myself from Glimmer's grasp- _finally!_- and quickly walk up to Marvel, who has his back turned to me and is tapping his foot to the rhythm of the music. Glimmer has disappeared again."Marvel!" I call, but he doesn't reply; I deduce he hasn't heard me, so I wait until I'm closer to call him again. There's still no reply. "Marvel, are you deaf?" I ask impatiently, tapping on his shoulder.

He turns around, and instantly I wish the ground would just swallow me.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" I almost shriek at the man before me. "I thought you were someone else!"

It's like those times I called my schoolteacher 'Grandma' by mistake, only a hundred times worse.

"It's okay," he says with a smile. "Happens to everyone."

I look up at him with relief, feeling my cheeks turning back to normal. It was actually a normal mistake: although he's much older- perhaps in his early thirties-, this man looks precisely like Marvel, in an almost creepy way. However, there's a kind of sadness in his eyes, that his smile doesn't reach.

"New arrival?" the man asks, pointing at my wrist. I notice he has the exact same tattoo that indicates he's an Awakened like me, only his is bright red. I'm supposed to get mine tomorrow, though I'm not exactly looking forward to it.

I nod. The man stares back at me, and suddenly I remember what Maysilee told us- sure, he's older, but he once was a tribute like me, and I just mistook him for Marvel. Maybe I should introduce myself. "Serena Brooke," I say solemnly, holding out my hand. "District 4, 74th Hunger Games, tracker jacker attack."

He shakes my hand, a sad smile upon his lips. "Cassius. Just… Cassius. As strange as it may sound, I'm the only Awakened from the Capitol," he says. I involuntarily widen my eyes . "Poison."

I'm left speechless by his presentation, but thankfully Glimmer decides to appear again. "There you are!" she exclaims. "Let's go, we're still too exp… Hello." She stares at Cassius for a moment, probably startled by how similar he is to Marvel.

Cassius seems surprised as well, and as he holds out his hand to shake Glimmer's and presents himself again, his expression is absent-minded, like he's seeing someone else.

"Glimmer Adams. District 1, 74th Hunger Games, stung by tracker jackers," Glimmer says politely in return.

Cassius's head suddenly darts up and his eyes shine at Glimmer's words- there's something infinitely canine about him, but I can't quite put a finger on it… until I notice he has fangs. "District 1?" he asks eagerly; however, he recomposes himself when he sees our confused faces. "You don't happen to know Cashmere Mabel, do you?"

Glimmer knits her eyebrows together. "In fact, I do. She was my mentor."

"How is she?" Cassius inquires. "Did she… marry anyone?"

"Not that I know of," Glimmer replies, squinting at him. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious," Cassius replies with a sigh, even though I can tell there's something more to it. "She was engaged the last time I saw her, but apparently that didn't go too well. Have you ever been told you two look alike?"

"Yes, her brother made sure to point that out," Glimmer laughs, even though she's still eyeing Cassius suspiciously. "Coincidentally, I mistook you for my district partner at first."

"I think your friend did the same." Cassius smiles at me.

"Once again, I'm sorry," I say gravely.

"I already told you it's okay," Cassius assures me.

"We should be going," Glimmer whispers in my ear.

Surprisingly, Cassius hears her- I don't even know how, since the music is so loud, and gives us an apologetic look. "Where are my manners? You should be enjoying the party, but instead you're wasting your time listening to me."

I purse my lips. "It's not a waste of time! But we _really_ have to go." I add that last part because Glimmer is pulling my arm again. "We're sorry."

"Don't worry, I'm kind of a loner anyway. Have fun."

"Thank you," I say, taking one last look back. "It was a pleasure meeting you!"

Cassius waves at us as Glimmer drags me again to the most crowded side of the deck. I notice she still has an intrigued look upon her face. "That was weird," she blurts out, as soon as she chooses a spot where she considers her stalker won't find her.

I shrug. "I think he's nice."

"You're only saying that because he looks like Marvel, otherwise you would mistrust him like you do with everyone," she snorts.

"I don't mistrust everyone!" I protest. "Just because I don't instantly become best friends every time I come across someone, like you…"

Glimmer laughs. "You're adorably anti-social," she jokes, pinching my cheek. "I didn't say Cassius wasn't nice, I just think it was strange that he knew my mentor so well." She looks up thoughtfully for a moment. "You know what? I think he liked h-" Glimmer suddenly widens her eyes in panic at something behind me. "Oh no, here he comes again!" she whines.

I glance around, trying to identify who is bothering her so much, but when I look back, Glimmer's vanished _again_ and left me alone.

"Hey, where did your friend go?"

I spin on my heels and nearly bump my nose against someone's chest. I crane my neck, since the boy is nearly six feet tall, so I can look him in the eye, and take a step back. He smiles, amused, and takes a step forward.

_I'm going to kill Glimmer._

"I-I don't know," I stammer sincerely.

"Well, that's just great," he says ironically, letting out a sigh. "I've been looking for her, and she just escaped right through my fingers!"

I raise my eyes hesitantly, studying him- the boy doesn't strike me as the creepy stalker type; quite the contrary- his broad shoulders, tan skin and brown curls with matching warm eyes should guarantee him a fair amount of female admirers.

But then again, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. There must be a reason he's alone.

"I honestly don't know," I say, more steadily. "Sorry."

Glimmer's suitor eyes me up and down, playing with the small hoop he has on one of his ears. "You're not bad looking yourself," he finally says, smiling. "What's your name?"

"Serena," I say blankly.

_Marvel, where the _hell _are you?!_

"Is that all?" he asks, leaning closer. I glance at his wrist, where I find what I expected- the red eye.

"District 4, 74th Hunger Games, tracker jacker attack," I say mechanically, as fast as I can.

An almost imperceptible shadow passes through his brown eyes. "You're such a pretty little thing, to be a Career." The boy grabs some strands of my hair between his fingers, intended on playing with it, but I slap his hand. "I'm Taylor. Taylor Spindler- District 8, 70th Hunger Games. I drowned."

My jaw drops a little. "Annie's Games," I whisper to myself.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Taylor keeps smiling knowingly.

"Nothing." I squint at him. "Look, you're really nice… But I really don't know where my friend went to."

"No problem," he says cheerfully. "Want to go for a drink?"

"I wasn't finished." I set my jaw. "I'm not going with you. My boyfriend will be here any minute."

_My boyfriend_. It sounds so strange, coming from my mouth. Especially since I doubt said boyfriend will come at all. Why do I have to be so short? If I was taller, I would be able to punch him in the face, or at least slap him.

Hmm, I can always strategically hit him with my knee…

Taylor tilts his head back and laughs heartily. "You're lying, Four. I've already met your district partner, and I highly doubt that's your boyfriend," he scorns, pointing at David.

It takes me a lot of will not to stomp my foot and start yelling at him. _What a pest!_ "I'm telling the truth," I say through gritted teeth.

"Well, I think you're playing hard to get." Taylor motions to stroke my cheek, but I duck just in time. "Aren't you?"

"I already told you I have a boyfriend!" I hiss impatiently. "Please go away!"

"Then where is he?" Taylor's face is now inches away from mine- I think about all the training I received back home, and all I was taught about knocking my opponents unconscious, but I know it's of no use. He's too big.

I knew I shouldn't have come.

_Marvel_

"Wow, people in Ceres sure know how to throw a party," I say, impressed, eyeing the flashing lights, the stunning view and the small crowd dancing.

"This is nothing," Rufus snorts. "You just wait until the Festival. Now _that_'s a party."

"Don't you have any friends waiting, or something?" I ask, ignoring his remark. It's also an attempt to get rid of him.

"Nope. Tonight I'm all yours, little cousin."

"Well, too bad I have other plans." I turn to Gretchen. "What about you? Wouldn't you rather spend time with your friends?"

She shakes her head, and mutters something that sounds awfully like "I don't have any friends."

I shoot her a pitiful look- no friends? Poor girl-, but I don't say anything. I want to find Serena, and I won't be able to do that while babysitting my cousins. I scan the dance floor and the food booths, and immediately find Glimmer, who is obviously trying to go unnoticed- as much as a curvy tall blonde with a bright red dress can, of course.

I can't help but notice she's alone- and that fact makes me nervous.

"Glimmer!" I shout over the music.

She turns around, visibly startled, but her expression relaxes when she sees it's me. A glance in Rufus's direction as Glimmer approaches us with quick steps shows me his jaw has dropped a little.

"Is this your girlfriend?" he asks, loud enough for Glimmer to hear.

Glimmer gives him the iciest stare I've ever seen, and doesn't even reply. "Serena has been waiting for you," she accuses, turning to me.

"Sorry. I got held back." I tilt my head, indicating Rufus and Gretchen. "Isn't she with you?"

Glimmer purses her lips, looking almost ashamed. "She was somewhere back there, last time I saw her," she says, pointing at the crowd.

"You left her alone?!" I furrow my brows, annoyed.

"Don't blame me," Glimmer says defensively. "You're the one who's late!"

Without needing to hear anything else, I begin striding towards the place Glimmer said Serena would be; however, when I see both my cousins are following me, I have a sudden idea. "Hey, Glimmer," I call. "I want to introduce you to someone."

I know she won't get along with Rufus- his behavior is too similar to mine, and she only puts up with me because of Serena-, but if there's someone capable of making Gretchen come out of her shell, that someone is Glimmer.

"Gretchen, Glimmer. Glimmer, Gretchen," I say quickly. To Glimmer, I whisper, "Go easy on her. She's very shy."

Glimmer smiles broadly; she loves shy people, and sees them as a challenge. Perhaps that's why she never got along with anyone in the Career pack besides Serena.

I watch as a very surprised Gretchen is led away from us by Glimmer, before proceeding with my search for Serena; just like I expected, Rufus follows me, but I don't pay attention to him. Sooner or later he'll leave me alone.

I find her almost right away, and my heart instantly gives an excited jump; she's wearing a short black dress with thin straps, undoubtedly chosen by Glimmer- I'll have to thank her later; my eyes wander lazily over her exposed legs, which end on a pair of high heels. I smile to myself- the shortness of the dress combined with the heels is a smart move that makes her look taller, but the illusion ends as soon as I take a look at the towering guy who is leaning over and speaking to her…

I move so fast that Rufus doesn't even see me disappear.

"Then where is he?" he is asking mockingly as I approach him. "Where's your boyfriend, Four?" Serena seems horrified, and I suddenly feel my all-too familiar rage bubbling up.

But I won't hit him. Not in front of her.

My hand lands a little too heavily on his shoulder to be mistaken as a friendly gesture. "Looking for me?" I ask coldly, as the boy turns around, his smile still defiantly plastered on his face.

"So you do exist!" he exclaims cheerfully, glancing at Serena. "Hey Four, is this your boyfriend?"

Serena nods, her face as red as Glimmer's dress. Not very gently, I release the boy's shoulder and approach her, pulling her body towards mine by the waist- a bit possessively, but I can't help it.

"You're a lot taller than I thought," he says, crossing his arms. I'm glad to see I tower over him by about three inches. "I'm Taylor Spindler. District 8, drowned in the 70th Hunger Games."

"Couldn't swim, uh?" I ask scornfully. Serena elbows me slightly as a reminder that when I met her I sank like a rock. "Marvel Gould," I say reluctantly. "District 1, 74th Hunger Games, arrow through the neck." I smirk. "The person that shot me ended up winning," I add, so that he knows I wasn't killed by some flood.

Taylor's smile drops. "Another Career," he says unpleasantly.

"Yeah, do you have a problem with that?" I clench my teeth, trying to restrain myself from punching him.

Serena tugs on my jacket. "Marvel, stop that," she says, annoyed, even though I can tell she's relieved I'm here.

"Fine. But was he bothering you?" I ask.

Taylor's laughter rings through my ears. "Dude, I was just playing with her!"

I pretend I didn't hear him. "Was he?" I insist.

Serena makes a strange expression, as if she isn't sure she should reply. "He was looking for Glimmer," she informs in a low voice.

"Have you seen her?" Taylor asks eagerly, apparently hearing Serena.

"Ignore him," Serena whispers. "He's stalking h-"

I straighten up and point in the direction opposite to the one I saw Glimmer take. "She went that way," I inform promptly.

Taylor's face lights up. "Thanks, dude! Hey, no hard feelings." He waves at Serena. "See ya, Four."

I watch him walk away, the last remains of my anger slowly disappearing, before bursting out laughing. What a desperate douche bag.

"Marvel!" Serena exclaims, shocked. "What was that for? Now he will follow Glimmer for the rest of the night!"

"I had to get rid of him." I hold her tighter. "He was hitting on my girl."

Serena raises her eyebrows. "I told you, he only cares about Glimmer-"

I shake my head; sometimes Serena's so naïve I actually get worried. "Don't you get it? He was flirting with you because he couldn't find her. Like you're second choice material," I snarl.

"Oh." Serena purses her lips. "But I understand that. I mean, it's _Glimmer_, who would choose me over her?"

"Hmm, I don't know… _me_?" I ask playfully, as I begin to slowly trace her jaw with my fingertips.

Serena looks skeptical, but she covers my hand with hers when I cup her cheek. "You? You're weird," she says softly.

"And you like me that way," I whisper playfully. Even though she's wearing high heels, I still have to bend down and Serena has to crane her neck so I can kiss her.

My lips have barely touched Serena's when she mutters amusingly, "There's someone watching us."

I look to my right, and fight back the urge to roll my eyes at the sight of Rufus observing us from a distance. "That's my cousin," I inform her in a low voice, as he makes his way to us.

"Is this the one?" Rufus asks cheerfully, not even bothering to say hello.

"Yes," I reply coldly.

Rufus eyes Serena up and down. "You're really pretty," he praises. "But your blonde friend is hotter, sorry."

Serena raises an eyebrow. "Well, and your cousin is hotter than you, so I guess that makes us even."

Both Rufus and I burst out laughing at her words; sometimes I wonder if the reason Serena is so quiet is because she's afraid she'll reveal her bitchy side by accident. "Oh, I like her!" Rufus exclaims when he manages to stop laughing, holding out his hand. "I'm Rufus."

"Serena," she replies with a smile. "I didn't know Marvel had a cousin."

"Neither did I," I confess, earning a confused glance from her.

"Will you excuse us for a second?" Serena asks Rufus, widening her smile. "Please," she adds sweetly.

"S-sure," Rufus stammers, before walking out of sight.

"How did you do that?" I ask suspiciously. How did she get rid of Rufus so easily? I've been trying to do it for the past hour, and she managed to do it in the blink of an eye!

Serena raises her eyes innocently. "He has your genes. Works with you, works with him."

"I feel manipulated," I say, trying to sound hurt.

Serena gets on her toes and kisses my chin, which is as far as she can get. "Oh, poor you," she scorns. "Now… why didn't you tell me you had a cousin?" she asks, lowering her voice.

"Let's dance," I suggest, instead of replying.

"That didn't answer my question," Serena points out, annoyed. "And I can't dance in heels. In fact, I'm a terrible dancer- period."

"No problem." Before she can say anything, I bend down and unlace Serena's sandals, before picking her up by the waist and carefully putting her down, so that she is standing on my feet. "May I have this dance?" I ask chivalrously.

Serena laughs and nods, allowing me to put my right hand on her waist and wrap the fingers on my left around hers, before we start moving. I gently pull her closer, and the knot I hadn't realized I had in my stomach loosens as soon as I begin feeling her heartbeat. _Boom. Boom. Boom._

"Silk is my mother's sister," I say, as Serena rests her head on my chest. "Rufus and Gretchen- you haven't met Gretchen yet, she's with Glimmer- are their kids. But I didn't know of their existence until an hour ago."

Serena looks up, a sad smile upon her lips. "Silk's your aunt? That's wonderful!"

"I'm not so sure about that," I confess. "They seem like good people, but… I don't know, they're still strangers."

"They're family," Serena insists, sounding hurt.

Suddenly, I feel ashamed, remembering the love Serena imprinted to her words every time she spoke about her five sisters and the upcoming baby… and now she's all alone.

"Look… About what Helen said- I'm sorry," I whisper.

"It's okay," she replies tensely, her eyes fixed on something behind me. "I just think that if you have chance of being with your relatives, even long-lost ones, you should give them a chance." Her gaze meets mine. "Otherwise they'll _always_ be strangers."

"Perhaps you're right." I force a smirk on my lips, expecting Serena to return it, but instead she looks horrified, as she observes my face more closely.

"Who did this to you?" she asks, reaching out her arm and running her fingers along my cheek, where I know I have a bruise.

I shrug. "Cato. Maybe Thresh. I don't know."

"What happened?" The look of concern on Serena's face is heartbreaking.

"I deserved to get hit by Thresh. You know, because of Rue," I explain, grimacing. "As for Cato… I guess I should have ignored him, but he called you a-" I don't finish my sentence. "Never mind."

"I can take it," she says softly.

"He called you a useless bitch," I finish, feeling my blood heat up at the memory.

"Oh." Somehow, Serena manages to smile. "Coming from him, that's almost a compliment."

I tighten the grip on her waist and caress her back, running my hand along the crossed laces that hold the back of her dress together. "Don't listen to him," I advise. "He's just jealous."

Serena looks up, amused. "Uh?"

"I have a theory," I start. "Cato doesn't like you because he's too dense to realize he has to _tell_ Clove that he likes her instead of doing what he thinks are romantic gestures, otherwise he won't get anywhere. She's just that kind of girl. I think he wishes she was a little more like you."

Serena pulls away, looking bothered. "Hey! Are you saying I'm easy?"

I drag her towards me again. "Never!" I exclaim. Then, I lower my face to hers. "I'm saying you're aware of how I feel about you and that you know me too well for my own good."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Serena laughs. "I didn't know you could dance."

"Well," I say cockily, "I have to keep _some_ of the mystery. That way you won't be able to keep your hands off me."

"We'll see about that," Serena scorns, laying her cheek on my chest again.

However, I can't help but notice how her heartbeat has changed pace, and is now a fast _Boom-boom-boom_; and that, somehow, is soothing.

_Serena_

When Marvel and I are finally too tired to stay at the party for any longer, the lights are already fading out and I'm not able to find Glimmer or Rue; Marvel's cousins have gone home as well, claiming their mother would give them 'the evil eye'- I don't even want to think that they might have meant it literally- if they stayed out until too late.

The temperature has also dropped drastically, and as we walk the empty street that leads to our block, I rub my arms with my hands, once again cursing Glimmer's fashion choices- which, of course, didn't include a coat, a cardigan, or a warm piece of clothing of any sort. Not to mention my shoes are torturing my feet.

"You're shivering," Marvel points out quietly.

Before I can say anything, he removes his jacket, wraps it around my shoulders, and helps me put my arms through the sleeves; the jacket is so big that I have to roll them up twice, and I realize- not without some embarrassment- that it is actually longer than my dress. I shoot Marvel a thankful look, but I notice he's retracted a little.

"Thank you. But won't you be cold?" I ask worriedly.

Marvel eyes me up and down and grins at my struggle with the sleeves. "Don't worry about that."

"It's not your fault if _I_ didn't bring a jacket," I insist, giving up trying to keep my hands free.

"I told you I'm alright. Although I have a couple ideas for you to keep me warm," Marvel says with a smirk.

I smile innocently and put my hands behind my back, knowing all too well that if he could see how much I'm blushing right now under the dim light of the street lamps, Marvel would get full of himself. "Such as…?"

If he's surprised that I'm asking, he doesn't show it. "Well, first of all, you should wear that dress more often- I'm glad I lent you my jacket, it was getting hot here." I blush deeper- when will I learn to keep my mouth shut? "Second of all…"

Without warning, Marvel puts an arm behind my knees and scoops me up, holding me against his chest. "Now we're both warm. What do you think?"

"I think you should put me down," I say amusingly.

"Make me," Marvel whispers teasingly, before starting to walk again.

"Why are you always doing this?" I ask. "I can walk!"

"I know that. But at the pace you were going, I would most likely get some sleep by tomorrow." His eyes bore into mine. "Don't care denying it, I know your feet hurt."

"Oh no!" I exclaim in a mockingly distressful voice. "Marvel, save me from the terrible high heels! They're killing me!" I smile at him. "Seriously, you can put me down."

"No," Marvel says stubbornly. "I like holding you. Besides, we're already here."

I look up and see he's right; over us hangs the '74' that indicates we've hit out new home- if we could call it home. Marvel doesn't put me down when he steps into the hall, nor does he do it as he presses the button with the number one in the elevator, not even when we reach the door to my apartment.

I look at him, expecting to at least be allowed to open the door with both my feet on the ground, but Marvel just presses my back against the wall and stares at me hungrily, the corners of his mouth twitching up in his signature cocky grin.

Suddenly, I realize this is the very first time we are _completely_ alone, without anyone around, or the threat of the cameras hovering over us…

That's probably why a second later Marvel is devouring my mouth with his while he runs his fingers along my sides. I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my fingers in his hair, just as Marvel moves one of his hands and places it on the left side of my chest, right over my heart.

"Hmm… What are you doing?" I pant, pulling away. Marvel was never the kind to feel like he had any restrictions over whether he could or not he could touch me below the neck, as long as I was okay with that, but now his hand is just resting there.

Marvel quickly removes his hand."Nothing." He moves his lips to my throat and seems to make a decision, because he confesses apologetically, "I'm feeling your heartbeat."

"That's slightly creepy," I chuckle.

Marvel, however, doesn't seem in the mood to joke. "I just want to be sure I won't lose you again," he murmurs, placing a small kiss below my ear.

I put both my hands around his face, forcing Marvel to pull back, and run my thumb along the bruise on his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere," I assure him, staring deeply into his green eyes.

Then, I cover his lips with mine, causing him to groan in response and begin to caress my exposed leg, sending shivers up my spine and leading me to crave for more. If this is how it feels like to have a lifetime ahead of us, I wonder how we managed to restrain ourselves when we were sure we were about to die.

"Baby-face," Marvel says in a raspy voice, by the time I start worrying that Glimmer might come out looking for me. "I think I should go, before I do something I might regret later."

"Okay. But why aren't your arms sore?" I ask incoherently, still a little dizzy.

Marvel's eyes return from the dark green they had become to their usual sea-color, as he starts laughing. "What, because I've been holding you for too long?" he asks, amused. "Please, I've lifted weights heavier than you with one hand."

I frown. "That makes me feel like a child."

"I don't see you that way. Trust me." Marvel kisses me again, this time more tenderly, before finally putting me down. "Goodnight, Serena."

I quietly open the door, and cast him one last glance. "Goodnight, Marvel."

* * *

**More to come next week! Please review and let me know what you think :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry it was with a 2-day delay, but here's chapter 4 :)**

**First of all, I owe you an explanation: when I uloaded the last chapter, I forgot to tell you that Cassius is not exactly a new character- if you wish to know more about him, you can read my Cashmere-centered story,_ Every Rose Has Its Thorn_.**

**I'd also want to say that your feedback is very important to me; it's the only way I have of knowing how you feel about this fic, and whether it's worth it to keep uploading new chapters. So please, if you have anything to say about the story, do not hesitate to add a review!**

**Now... back to the story! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_Serena_

"Serena, are you paying attention?"

I give a little jump on my seat and quickly turn my head away from the beach, which I had been observing longingly through the window. Helen- who I have to call Mrs. Clark whenever I'm inside these walls- is staring at me with one hand on her hip and her brows furrowed, and still pointing at the explanation of Ceres's political system she's projecting on the board. The date written above it shows me that the day of the reaping, that changed my life forever, was exactly a month ago.

It has been a week since we arrived here, and even though I'm getting used to the idea of having no family and living with Glimmer- who, I have to hand it to her, is a wonderful roommate; I'm a disaster when it comes to dealing with money, but she knows how to make the best out of the allowance all of the Panem Awakened under the age of eighteen get-, there's still one tiny thing that bothers me, the only one that could be stranger than a welcome party.

I can't believe that after everything, I'm being forced back to school.

"I'm s-sorry," I stammer. "I got distracted for a moment."

"So it would seem." Helen's gaze drifts away from me for a moment, before she eyes me again. "Perhaps we should get you a new seat, away from Marvel."

I cast him a glance- Marvel is distracted as well, his eyes glued to the ceiling- and straighten up on my chair. "It won't happen again," I guarantee, hoping she won't force me to move.

Helen seems convinced, and doesn't elaborate; however, I know I'm lying, and that sooner or later I'll zone out again. I've been having a lot of trouble concentrating lately, and the lack of sleep doesn't help at all- every night I'm assaulted by nightmares, and so is Glimmer. I could hear her crying next door, until one night none of us could take it anymore and she ended up moving her bed to my room. Now she's supposed to wake me up every time she senses I'm having a bad dream, and I do the same- as a result, we both have dark bags under our eyes, but anything is better than hearing _that_ buzz inside my head.

"And so, the members of the Elder Council are voted every five years," Helen is saying cheerfully. "They're the ones who guarantee everything goes according to plan here, and that everything is provided to our new citizens-"

Her voice slowly fades away in my mind, as I take a look around and observe my classmates. We were divided by age, so it consists of only seventeen year-olds: a mix of Awakened from different editions of the Games and kids born in Ceres-like Rufus and Gretchen, who are sick at home-, but all from Panem-born parents. This includes Marvel, Clove, Glimmer, and a couple other tributes I remember seeing in the arena, but as soon as we turn eighteen, we're supposed to get a job- according to Marvel, Cato and Thresh have already started working.

I'm a bit worried that I have to choose a career, but since my birthday is still three months away, that decision can wait. Still, I'm concerned about Marvel- he'll turn eighteen in three weeks, and he doesn't seem very confident. And if _Marvel,_ of all people,doesn't seem confident, then something's wrong.

"Apart from spear-throwing, what can I do?" he blurted out, after we were told we had to choose a profession. Then, realizing what he had said, he added quickly, "I mean, maybe my insanely good looks and hidden talents count for something…"

"Marvel," I said gently, sensing his discomfort. "Didn't your parents have a jewelry store?" He nodded. "Well then, I bet you will give a great jeweler or crafter."

I kissed him on the cheek, but the sorrow in his eyes didn't go away. "I never thought my life would go like this," he confessed.

I sighed. "I never thought I'd end up like this either."

"I was convinced that if I never got the chance to be a tribute, maybe I could be a trainer… but here there are no weapons, so I don't think that's an option."

Actually, I never put much thought into what I would become when I got older. Would I continue fishing and helping my sisters at the market, as always? Would I become a teacher? A crafter?

My meditation is interrupted by the sound of the bell, indicating this class is finally over.

"Don't forget you have your first therapy session this afternoon! See you there!" Helen chirps, before leaving.

"That woman's _everywhere_," Glimmer complains, after she walks up to my desk. "She's worse than a Capitol escort."

I laugh. "Speaking of which, how's your stalker?" I ask.

"Taylor?" Glimmer wrinkles her nose. "I found out he owns a fabrics shop. The _only _fabrics shop around. Which means that if I want to start my own clothing line, I will have to pay him some visits."

"I bet he'll love that," I snort. After the party, I didn't see Taylor anymore, but Glimmer guaranteed he's _very_ persistent, and that she more often than not runs into him at the most unexpected places. At least he's apologized for the way he acted.

"Well, I have to go," Glimmer says. "We've run out of milk."

"Don't you want me to go with you?" I ask.

Glimmer gives me her 'big sister' smile. "No. But thanks anyway." She tilts her chin towards the door. "I think someone's waiting."

When I follow her out of the classroom and into the empty corridor, I see that she's right- Marvel is leaning against the wall with the same distant expression he had during History class.

"Hey." I give him a quick kiss, but immediately pull away, when I see that adding to the bags under his eyes- Marvel definitely has nightmares as well- he has a new bruise, this time on his jaw. "What was it this time?" I ask kindly, even though I already know the answer: Cato.

Marvel shrugs. "It was kind of my fault. I decided to tell Cato I was tired of literally cleaning his shit, so he pushed me, saying it was my job… So I punched him."

I flinch, imagining Cato's reaction to that. "You need to control your bad temper," I say softly.

"Me?" Marvel asks, annoyed. "What about him?"

I bite my lip, realizing I said the wrong thing. "He _has_ to control himself." I raise my hand and caress his cheek. "But he's not the one with a new bruise every three days."

"I don't need to be reminded that I'm weaker than him," Marvel mutters darkly.

"You're not weaker than him," I protest.

"Oh yeah?" Marvel lets out a humorless laughter, running his hand through his hair. "He beat Thresh. What did I do? I went insane and killed a defenseless child-"

Without thinking, I take a step forward, wrap my arms around his body and hug him tightly; I should have realized, from the moment I saw the look in his eyes that Marvel is having a bad day, and was just looking for some comfort. But I guess my sleep-deprived brain is a little slow.

"Where did that come from?" he asks, apparently soothed by the sudden contact.

"I figured out I was being a bitch, so this is my way of trying to make up for it," I confess, my words muffled against his chest.

"And _I'm_ the one who's weird?" Marvel asks amusingly.

"Fine, I'm weird too." I look up. "Did it work?"

"If you mean 'do you feel better?', then yes," he replies, kissing my forehead.

I bury my nose in the front of his t-shirt. "Good."

"Maybe Helen is right," Marvel says, as he runs his fingers through my hair. "We do need therapy."

* * *

The first thing I see when Marvel and I walk into the large room that has a plaque with the words 'Dr. Smith' over the door is that the balding man- who I suppose is Dr. Smith, our therapist- is not alone. Next to him sit Helen- who as always seems pleased with herself- Silk, and Maysilee. They're holding their clipboards again, and by their faces I would say they would give anything to be somewhere else. They're sitting on a circle of chairs, all of them but two occupied by the other tributes.

"Sorry we're late," Marvel says sheepishly, as every person in the room turns their head to look at us. I can't help but feel as if they're judging me, especially since I'm pretty sure they know why we, out of all people, got held back.

"No problem," Dr. Smith assures us. "Please have a seat," he says indicating the only remaining chairs, on opposite sides of the circle. I sink onto my chair without a word. "Now that everyone's here, shall we begin?" Even though he meets only silence, he goes on. "First of all, I want you to know that whenever you feel the need to speak to someone, I'm available to listen. I also want you to know that the point of these sessions is not making you forget what you've been through- I'm afraid that is impossible, and I will not pretend that it is not."

This catches my attention- Dr. Smith is the first person who is openly honest about the fact that none of us will ever be the same again.

"But," he goes on, "That doesn't mean I won't try to help you, as long as you are okay with that." He scans the room with his intelligent blue eyes that peek out of his gold-rimmed glasses. "The question is: are you okay with that?"

I find myself nodding along with the twenty-one other tributes; even Cato and Clove, who like to act strong and superior to everyone, agree on taking Dr. Smith's help.

Dr. Smith gives us all a fatherly smile. "Great," he says. "You will now be divided into three groups of four and two groups of five." Right away, I look for Glimmer, Marvel, and Rue, the only people with whom I feel relatively comfortable, but Dr. Smith appears to have other plans. "The groups are already made," he announces. "Once you are all divided, each of you will think of a story that has happened to you and share it with your partners. But not any story- it has to be something that makes you smile. This serves to remind you that not everything is bad, and so that you get to know each other a little better."

He then proceeds to call our names, and that's how I end up sitting with Thresh, Ash- the boy from District 7- and Amper, a quiet girl from District 3. As I glance around the room, surveying the other groups, I notice that, unlike whoever assigned our roommates, Dr. Smith was careful not to mix killers with victims- the boy from District 5, Ash's district partner, and the girl from Eight are luckily far away from me-, but he didn't allow us to be with our friends either.

"So… Who goes first?" Ash asks, after an awkward silence. He seems to realize right away that neither I, Amper, nor Thresh are the most talkative of people, so he lets out a resigned sigh. "Alright, then," he says, before beginning to tell us about the tales involving the forest that people in District 7 believe in, and how he and his friends once snuck out at night so they could find out if they were true, and ended up going home with their clothes stinking due to an unfortunate encounter with a weasel.

As Ash's story is met with quiet laughter, I start thinking about what I should tell them. I have so many stories that I could share- about my sisters, Grandma, Sally, Finnick, or Annie, but I feel like they're all too personal. Although that's probably the point… Dr. Smith just wants us to forget that we were once enemies, and even though it seems impossible now, I'm pretty sure that _someday_ we'll get along.

"Who's next?" Ash asks, as soon as he finishes his story. His eyes fall on me. "How about you, little girl?"

I get up abruptly, feeling annoyed that his slightly scornful words have touched my sensitive Career nerve- my friends are the only ones allowed to point out how small I am. "Well, I…" my voice trails off when I realize I still haven't chosen a story to tell. I quickly search through my mind, and finally decide on one that is not as personal as the others, since there were so many people around when it happened.

However, no words come out once I open my mouth to speak. How I managed to go through my interview with Caesar Flickerman is a mystery.

_Pretend you're talking to Marvel._

I clear my throat, before pulling my necklace out of my blouse. "This is my token," I announce, trying to ignore how stupid I sound. "I've had it since the day I learned to swim." I take a deep breath, and begin my story. "When I was four, I was terrified of going in the ocean; I would never let the water reach above my knee-height, which considering I was a really small child, wasn't very far." I don't tell them that the reason I was scared of the waves was because I was afraid I would drown like my parents and my grandfather.

"But one day, Finnick decided I should learn how to swim, since we lived in District 4. So he went to my grandmother, who had just finished making a new necklace, and she struck a deal with me: if I let Finnick and Annie teach me how to swim, she would give it to me. Although I was still frightened, my love for shiny stuff was stronger." Amper chuckles at my words, and that encourages me to go on. "I agreed, and by the end of the day I wasn't afraid anymore, thanks to them." I smile at the memory of a ten-year-old Finnick and a seven-year-old Annie splashing in the water- much to the annoyance of the fishermen around us-, so far from the heartthrob and the mad girl the Capitol makes them to be. "My grandmother gave me the necklace, and I felt like I had just won a gold medal. I haven't taken it off ever since." I purse my lips and sit down again, indicating I'm finished.

Surprisingly, Amper volunteers to go next; she tells us about her struggle not to be called 'Amber', how no matter how much she tried, people always mixed the letters in her name. "So one day," she says with a playful gleam in her eyes, "I went around wearing a t-shirt that said _My name is NOT Amber._ It confused everyone, but surprisingly it worked."

Thresh, reserved as always, chooses a story about his grandmother too- I can spot a slight smile upon his lips as he informs us that she is the toughest woman he has ever known, that even earned the Peacekeeper's respect, and how that's why he isn't worried about his sister. "I know they can take care of themselves," he says proudly. "Better than I can, that's for sure."

Once he finishes, I'm happy to realize I managed to pay attention to all three stories, and that they actually helped me see that there's always a good side, and that perhaps… just perhaps, things will turn out fine.

_Marvel_

"Everything going okay?"

My aunt stares down at my group with a playful smile, just as Fuller, the boy from District 8, finishes his story; she's holding her clipboard and a pen, apparently having wandered around the room taking notes while we were distracted.

"Everything's going wonderful," Tamara, a ridiculously communicative girl from Seven, replies for the whole group. "Marvel was just about to tell us his story," she adds, with a flirtatious smile, that I don't return. If she doesn't want to catch a glimpse of Serena's bad side again- I know she has one, I've seen it-, Tamara won't insist; not to mention I have zero interest in her.

"Really?" My aunt's smile widens, as her gaze falls on me. "Do you mind if I stay and listen to it?"

I shrug, before casually leaning back on my chair. "Not at all." I scan my small audience- my aunt, Tamara, Fuller, and Robin- and try not to laugh at what I'm about to tell them. "As some of you may know- or probably not-, I have a little sister named Crystal… Although she acts more as my brother." I raise my left hand, the one that has the bracelet my sister gave me- likely the only one she owned – and absent-mindedly rub my neck. "When Crystal was nine, my mother started getting worried that she was too much of a tomboy- the way some mothers do, you know?" I pause, and notice that my aunt is giving me a motherly smile again.

As for Robin, she's staring at me without even blinking- creepy as hell-, probably trying to absorb as much information about me as she can; I can't help but remember that her story was somewhat vague, and didn't even happen to her. It was an embarrassing episode she witnessed on the street, or something like that.

"So in order to try and get Crystal to be more feminine, my mother signed her up for ballet lessons." I nearly start laughing at this point. "It didn't go too well. She screamed, kicked, but she had to go anyway, at least until the big recital three months later. The problem was," This time I'm not able to contain myself. "Her ballet recital was on the same day as evaluation at the Training Club, only the recital ended five minutes before the evaluation started. And since she couldn't skip either… She went to the Training Club still wearing her tutu and ballet shoes. Now imagine a little pink ballerina spinning around with a sword." Even though I'm pretty sure they are against the idea of a Training Club and nine-year-old girls wielding swords- isn't that why Careers are hated?-, my group laughs along with me.

"But Crystal carried on until the end, and didn't even blink when the trainer that handed her the diploma practically fell down with laughter. The best part is," I smirk, "I got everything on tape." I glance around once more. "The end."

My aunt claps slowly. "Wonderful story," she praises, with a mix of amusement and sarcasm.

"Thank you," I reply.

She turns to the others around me. "Is everyone finished?"

"Yeah," Tamara answers once again. "Marvel was the last one."

My aunt nods. "Then you may go now." Fuller, Robin, and Tamara get up, looking relieved, and I motion to do the same, but my aunt stops me. "Maybe this is a little inconvenient," she whispers, "But the rest of my family wants to meet you too. Would you like to join us for dinner tonight?"

I scratch my chin, thinking about my possibilities. I confess I'm kind of curious, now that I've spent some time with Rufus and Gretchen, about the rest of their family. Besides, tonight it's Cato's turn to cook…

"Sure," I reply. "But… weren't Rufus and Gretchen sick?"

My aunt waves her hand dismissingly, but I can tell she's concerned. "All my children get sick very often," she informs, her shoulders dropping a little. "But now the twins are better, and they're in that phase where they start getting bored because they've been home for too long, so they are looking forward to your visit."

"That convinces me, then," I say cheerfully.

"Great! Eight o'clock?"

"Sounds good to me." I stare at my aunt for a moment, as she looks at something behind me- I glance over my shoulder, and find Serena a little far away, apparently studying a poster Dr. Smith has on his wall; but I know she's waiting for me, while trying to go unnoticed. "I, uh… I have to go," I say, without tearing my gaze from Serena. It's unbelievable how I always seem unable to take my eyes off her.

My aunt pats me on the back. "Don't keep her waiting," she says playfully. "See you later." She waves at me and leaves the room, after shooting Serena an amused look.

I quietly walk up to Serena and fling my arms around her waist, startling her. "Missed me much?" I ask teasingly.

She turns around, her face adorably red. "I-I was just… I was reading this," she stammers, pointing at the poster.

"Sure you were." I gently poke the tip of Serena's nose, before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "So, how did it go?" I ask, as we walk out of the room.

"Better than I thought," she answers cheerfully. "Thresh is actually very nice, once you get to know him-"

"Should I get worried?" I ask, pulling her closer.

Serena chuckles and rests her head on my arm. "No… In fact, Glimmer put me in charge of gathering information about him. Something about Gretchen having asked for it."

"Please tell me my cousin isn't interested in my roommate," I groan.

"What's the problem?" Serena asks amusingly.

"It's… I don't know. Never mind." I look down, into the dark eyes I love so much, before blurting out, "My aunt invited me over for dinner."

"That's marvelous," Serena says with a wide smile. However, I notice a hint of sorrow in her expression, and I know she's thinking of her family.

"Would you stop making puns with my name?" I ask with feigned annoyance, changing the subject. "First Marvy-Boy, now this…"

Serena laughs, squeezing my arm jokingly. "Never."

* * *

I'm at my aunt's doorstep right on schedule, observing her well-tended garden with interest as I wait for someone to open the door. Since the house isn't very far from my apartment- in fact, all of the Awakened seem to live near each other-, I walked here, and seeing as I had more than enough time to think about the matter, I now feel completely comfortable with meeting my two other cousins and my uncle.

Besides, since when does Marvel Gould get nervous about anything? I'm supposed to be the laid-back one, so I can balance out Serena's panicky nature- we would make quite a pair, if both of us were constantly freaking out.

Just as I'm smirking to myself, remembering some of the occasions I saw her nearly go hysterics, the front door opens to reveal a woman, not much older than me, perhaps in her early twenties. With green eyes and nearly as tall as me, she's the spitting image of my aunt- except for the fact that her blonde hair is curly-, so I suppose this is the other daughter she mentioned.

"Hi!" I say, taking my hand from my pocket and holding it out so she can take it.

"So you're Marvel." The woman smiles, causing the dimples that are characteristic of my family to appear on the corners of her mouth. "I'm Rita."

"It's really nice to meet you," I say sincerely- at least she isn't making fun of me like her mother and brother, or hiding in a corner, like her sister.

"Please, come in," Rita invites, stepping aside so I can pass through the door.

I find myself in a house slightly similar to the one I grew up in- the kind of house the middle class in District 1 could afford-, with the walls covered with family portraits and the vaguely worn-out wooden floor and furniture accusing the presence of a fair amount of children.

Rita leads me to the living room, where the rest of her family is gathered. My aunt gets up from the couch so she can greet me, followed by a red-haired man and a freckled boy with hair just as red as his.

"Great meeting you, son," my uncle says gravely, shaking my hand in an iron grip; despite being middle-aged, it is still possible to tell he was once as bulky as Cato or Thresh. "I'll spare you the Awakened greeting. I'm Nero." He seems to struggle for a moment and adds, "District 2."

My youngest cousin looks up at me and shakes my hand as well in an attitude similar to his father's, probably trying to cover up the fact that he isn't a day over twelve years old. "I'm Andrew," he says in a tentatively deep voice. I try not to laugh at his seriousness. "But you can call me Drew."

"Little Andy there has been nagging us all afternoon, asking when _cousin Marvel_ would come," Rufus's visibly weakened yet scornful voice accuses from the couch. "You better watch out or he might steal your used napkin!"

Rita rolls her eyes. "Ignore him," she advises. "Rufus gets kinda cranky when he's sick."

"So it would seem," I say, amused, before approaching Gretchen and Rufus, who were out of my sight until now; however, as soon as I lay eyes on them, I widen my eyes in shock- Rufus, who is always talking loud and whose cockiness rivals with mine, has been reduced to a pale figure wrapped in a blanket and topped with lifeless red hair; as for Gretchen, she's even more unnoticeable than usual, and the fact that the couch is the same color as her blanket only helps to her almost perfect camouflage.

"Holy crap, what happened to you two?" I ask, horrified.

"Welcome to our life," Rufus coughs.

"I told you… My children have a fragile health," my aunt explains. "We're lucky this time the four of them didn't fall sick at the same time."

"_We're lucky_, my ass," Rufus grumbles, earning a furious glance from his mother. "This sucks."

"I thought you were feeling better," I say, still feeling a little uneasy at the fact that they both seem about to collapse.

"We are," Gretchen whispers. "We're not even taking the medicine anymore. Rufus just likes being treated like the crybaby he is."

"I heard that!" he exclaims, as everyone in the room bursts out laughing. Gretchen smiles: it appears that once she's in her house she loses her shyness- and according to Glimmer and Serena she never stops talking when she's with them, which means that Gretchen finally has friends.

"Dinner's ready," Rita calls from the dining room. I help Gretchen get up and follow the rest of the family to the table, while Rufus keeps complaining about how unfair life is under his breath. My uncle indicates my seat, between him and Andrew, and I sit down in front of a meat loaf that has my mouth watering, especially when I think about the awful meal Cato has probably prepared.

Not that I have any right to complain- Thresh is the only one who can cook decently.

"So…" my uncle starts, after some moments in which we all appreciate the delicious food in silence. "What was your weapon of choice?"

I almost choke on a piece of meat, and Andrew has to very helpfully pat my back.

"Nero!" my aunt scolds. "I thought we had agreed we wouldn't talk about it!"

"I know, but… come on!" Although he looks a little sheepish, my uncle punches my arm playfully, just like my father used to do. "Look at him! A Career, from head to toe!" He turns to me and lowers his voice. "Sorry. I'm just a little curious."

"It's okay," I say, between coughs, before recomposing myself and smiling proudly. "Spears. What about you?"

My uncle nods approvingly. "Good choice," he praises. "I used a saber, but I didn't say no to a bow either."

From the corner of my eye, I can see my aunt shaking her head and mouthing '_Men'_. Ha! As if she didn't try to rip out Haymitch Abernathy's internal organs back in the day. Gretchen and Rita cover their mouths and try not to laugh out loud, but I notice Rufus and Andrew are listening to my conversation with their father with close attention.

I wonder what it's like for them- to have Careers that were in the arena for parents, but growing up in a world with no Hunger Games. No exhausting training days, no special diet to gain muscle, no reaping, just... I don't even know how they spend their time.

"I'm not really into archery," I say jokingly, even though it's nothing to joke about and I end up sounding slightly bitter. My uncle seems to realize this, especially after his wife gives him 'the evil eye', since he drops the subject and keeps eating.

"What's it like?" Andrew asks in a low voice. "In the arena?"

"Andrew!" This time my uncle's the one to get angry. "What did I say-"

"Well, Dad, you can't blame him," Rufus interrupts. "You never talk about it."

"We never talk about it for a good reason," my aunt cuts in. "Now finish your food."

The rest of the meal is spent making small talk- I'm asked about the rest of the family, school, and occasionally there are some not-so-subtle attempts at making me talk about Serena, but my answers consist essentially of yes or no.

After dinner, I volunteer to help my uncle do the dishes, and even though he's reluctant at first- "You're our guest," he says- we end up in the kitchen, rubbing pieces of meat loaf from a plate.

Suddenly, my uncle turns off the water and leans against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. "They were _that_ bad, uh?" he asks quietly. "The Games."

I stare at him, eyebrows raised. "Aren't they always?"

"I suppose." He unfolds his arms and picks up a piece of cloth, so he can wipe a dish. "The bloodbathers- you're familiar with the term, aren't you?" I shake my head, but he goes on. "Anyway, the ones who die in the bloodbaths usually don't complain that much. It ended fast for them. But I guess you didn't get that scar in the bloodbath, did you?" he asks, pointing at my neck.

I let out a humorless laughter. "No," I reply. "I'm a… _Career from head to toe_, right? I lasted a little more than most of the other tributes."

My uncle nods, and suddenly I get the feeling I will not enjoy this conversation. "Did that girl you refuse to talk about last more than you?"

I stiffen. "No. She didn't," I answer harshly. I don't tell him that I see Serena die every night, when I'm asleep; it doesn't matter that we were revived, I still saw life fading from her eyes and felt her dying breath on my lips, all thanks to me and my stupidity. And that's something that will never go away.

My uncle cringes. "I know we just met, but do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." I sigh heavily and run a hand through my hair. "Do _you_ want to talk about your Games?"

My uncle laughs heartily at my comeback. "There's not much to say," he begins lightly. "I had a psychotic district partner that scared the crap out of me because she ripped a throat open with her teeth… Actually I shouldn't complain, since I volunteered even though I knew what awaited me. But the thing is," This time he looks at me with a serious expression. "After a while, I figured it wasn't worth it. The training, the volunteering… it just isn't."

I crack up a half-smile, knowing perfectly what he means.

It was never worth it.

_Serena_

I lie on my side, trying to sleep, as the bloodbath makes its way through my shut eyelids, its colors and details more vivid than usual. I make an attempt at following Dr. Smith's advice and try to focus on the happy stories I heard today- Thresh's grandmother, who I for some reason picture as looking like my own, tree spirits, a homemade t-shirt- but instead they just remind me of how human the other tributes are… And of how I am little more than an animal.

I see the boy from District 5, my hand stretched out so I can pull his head back and have an easier access at his throat. He struggles, he cries for a second, and then it's over. The girl from District 7 comes next- she killed David, she's trying to kill me, but I'm faster and soon the blood is spilling out of her stomach, only because of a simple thrust of my arm. Finally, the girl that fell asleep next to the campfire starts screaming; I'm not able to take it anymore, and I roll on my stomach, muffling a whimper as I bite into my pillow.

I'm a monster. I hurt them, and I don't even know their names.

I'm pretty sure they had happy stories too.

"Serena?"

I open my eyes and slowly turn my head to find Glimmer peeking through the door, a thin line of light spreading through the floor; she called me in a hushed voice, but I'm still glad she did it.

"Hm?" I grumble sleepily, as I realize I dug my nails in my palms.

"Marvel is here," she says, sounding as tired as me. Glimmer has decided she wants to open a clothes store, and she's been working non-stop on her creations, so they can be ready as soon as she turns eighteen. But I can tell she's also doing it to escape the nightmares. "I told him you had gone to bed, but that I would check if you were asleep anyway…"

"Thanks," I say, rubbing my eyes and sitting up on the bed. "I'll go right away."

Glimmer's shadow disappears from the doorframe just as I get on my feet and groggily make my way towards the hall: I don't come across her, so I suppose she's returned to the room she left empty and is now working as her studio.

Marvel is sitting on the couch with his fingers crossed on his lap, and nervously tapping his feet on the floor, as if he's not sure he should be here; he's not exactly dressed up, but I can tell he just came back from his family dinner. However, I don't mind the fact that I'm wearing nothing but a nightgown and underwear, and that I've braided the hair on both sides of my face in order to keep it from tangling- we've seen each other at our worst, and that includes us being covered in blood and dirt.

As soon as Marvel sees me, he gets up. I don't give him time to say anything, and just fling myself into his arms, pressing my nose against his neck and inhaling his smell- being this close to Marvel helps the images go away, and it just feels so good and safe…

"Bad dream?" he asks softly, as he caresses my back. I nod, and clutch the front of his shirt tighter. "Sorry for waking you."

I pull away just a little bit, and smile weakly. "No, it's okay. I wasn't exactly asleep. And I'm glad you came." I study his face for a second, trying to find out what led him to drop by. "How was dinner?" I ask.

"Well enough," Marvel replies, a bit absent-mindedly. "My aunt's family is nice, but they ask too many questions."

I frown. "Is that bad?"

I'm happy that Marvel has found his aunt, I truly am- especially since I know he had issues at home-, but there's still a little drop of jealousy I can't seem to make go away no matter what. I just hope it doesn't show.

"Yeah." Marvel rolls his eyes, trying to look relaxed, but I can tell he's troubled. "They kept trying to make me talk about the Games… and you."

"They're just trying to get to know you better," I chuckle. "And I'll meet them, sooner or later. I'm friends with Gretchen, remember?"

"I know." Marvel runs his hand through his hair and doesn't say anything else.

"So," I start, after some seconds of silence, in which Marvel looks down at me but seems to have his mind stuck somewhere else. "What brings you here?"

"Oh." Marvel blinks, as if he's being brought back to reality. "I just wanted to see you for a second before I went to bed."

"_You can't go five minutes without me, can you?_" I mock in a deep voice.

"Is that supposed to be me?" Marvel asks amusingly.

I give him an innocent smile. "Yes."

"I sound nothing like that." Marvel leans over and plants a tender kiss on my lips, before resting his forehead against mine. "I think I'll go now. Do you need me to tuck you in, Baby-face?" I shoot him a dirty look; Marvel knows how I hate it when he decides to act like everyone else and treat me like a child. "Just kidding. See you tomorrow?" he asks, caressing my cheek.

I feel my expression soften. "Sure."

"Marvelous." He gives me another quick kiss before pulling away and heading to the door. Marvel stops and turns around just as he's leaving. "I love you."

I beam, suddenly feeling like I may actually escape the nightmares tonight. "I love you too."

But when I see Marvel disappear towards the elevator, I can't help but feel there's still something wrong with him- something I don't think he wants to tell me, at least for now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Serena_

In the morning of Marvel's birthday, I wake up feeling unusually cheerful, even though I'm not quite sure why; of course it is a special day, but maybe the fact that I didn't wake up screaming, for a change, has something to do with it as well. Glimmer's bed is empty, indicating she's already down at her shop, meaning I can do whatever I want- including dancing around for no reason.

I open a drawer on my bedside table and fetch the small bag I use when I go to the beach to pick up shells, only this time it isn't empty- inside there is a pair of red gloves that I made myself: Marvel's present. I frown at how poorly knit they are, accusing my lack of experience with the needles- I wanted to get Marvel something useful- not the usual wind chime; why the heck would he need a wind chime?-, and this was the only thing that occurred to me. I'm not even sure if he will get to use them, since it appears the climate in Ceres is warm for most of the year.

I walk barefoot to the kitchen, clutching the gift against my chest. I'm wearing a t-shirt I borrowed from Marvel, and even though he teased me when I asked if I could take it- _If you want one so badly, why don't you come and get the one I'm wearing right now?-,_as usual, I still feel like it was worth it, since having something of his close to me every night seems to stop some of the bad dreams.

I hum to myself while I pour cereal in a bowl, and when I sit down to eat, I swing my legs on my seat. The humming becomes quiet singing as I put on a black bikini I find among my stuff, and it doesn't stop until I reach the bathroom, where I intend to brush my teeth and comb my hair.

At first I don't see it- I'm too caught up on my unexpected cheerfulness-, but then I notice the small box on the sink, with a note attached to it.

_Just in case you need them._

_-Glimmer._

I gape at the note, then at the box, then at the note again. Feeling my face heat up, I shove it in my bag and stride towards my room, where I quickly twist into a yellow sundress, before rushing out of the apartment and down the street, towards Glimmer's store.

When I get there, she's behind the counter, frowning at some papers, with a pencil tucked behind her ear; Taylor is excitedly talking to her, even though I'm pretty sure she isn't hearing a word.

I clear my throat. "Good morning," I say, as pleasantly as I can.

"Four!" Taylor turns his head, beaming at me. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Same here." I crack up a half-smile. "I came here because I need to talk to Glimmer."

"You'll have to wait," Glimmer says, without raising her head from the paperwork. "Business first, chatting later."

"She can't wait to get rid of me," Taylor whispers. "I came here to offer the services of a machine I have in my shop that duplicates any piece of clothing… It would spare her a lot of work, but she still won't go out with me."

I snort, trying not to laugh at his words, and then turn to Glimmer. "I need to talk to you _now_."

Glimmer finally looks at me, letting out an exasperated sigh and placing her hands on her hips. "Fine. What is it?" I cast a careful glance towards Taylor, who is now tapping his fingers on the counter while twisting his earring, as usual. "Could you give us a second?" Glimmer asks him, getting the hint.

"Sure, Glimmer-Shimmer," Taylor replies cheerfully. "Anything to make you happy." He walks away to the other side of the shop, whistling and observing the items in display.

Glimmer raises her hand to make what I bet is a very rude gesture, but, always a lady, seems to rethink and drops it. "I've told him a million times," she hisses, "Not to call me that."

I arch my eyebrows, briefly forgetting why I came here in the first place. "What is going on between you two, after all?"

Glimmer snorts, visibly annoyed. "It's not what you're thinking. Taylor and I have a strictly professional relationship- much to his dismay." She stares at me, some blonde curls falling from the bun she's put her hair into. "You didn't come here just to ask me that, did you?"

"No." I dive my hand in my bag and fetch the box she left me, before slamming it on the counter, right under her nose. "I want to know what's _this._"

Glimmer eyes the box for a moment, before smiling broadly. "Can't you read?" she asks, amused. "They're contraceptive pills."

I quickly turn my head, afraid that Taylor might be listening, before focusing back on Glimmer. "I know what they are! I just want you to know what they are _for_."

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Glimmer rolls her eyes. "They're supposed to stop you from getting pregnant. And look," She points at the small letters on the side of the box. "It says here that it you only have to take one before having your fun and voila- you're protected against babies and diseases. The effect lasts for six hours." She shoves the box into my hands, as I gape at her. "Is that all?"

"Glimmer," I start calmly, taking a deep breath and counting up to ten. "What in the world makes you think I'm sleeping with Marvel?"

She looks up, surprised. "You're not?"

"No!" I cry, before I can help it, causing Taylor to turn around, alarmed.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Glimmer pats my cheek gently. "I bought them _just in case_, remember? As your honorary big sister, it's my duty to-"

"As someone who actually _has_ five big sisters, I can assure you your duty would be to give me a lecture about how I shouldn't rush into things," I say bitterly, recalling when Marina gave me 'the talk'. Not that I needed it at the time, anyway- I've never been more intimate with a boy than I'm being with Marvel.

Glimmer shrugs. "Don't rush, then," she says as she points at my bag, which is now concealing the pills, after I thrust them in it again. "Anyway, you should keep them." She squints at me. "Hasn't he mentioned the matter yet?"

"Not that it's any of your business," I reply sternly," But no. He hasn't."

"Hm. Okay." Glimmer's eyes wander to the expositor she has next to the cash register, the one with a label that says 'Handmade shell necklaces'- I'm the one who makes them, not so much for profit, but more to keep my mind and hands busy. "We're almost out of necklaces," she informs me, changing subjects. "Could you please-"

"Sure," I cut off. "I was going down to the beach anyway. See you at lunch?"

Glimmer nods. "Tell Marvel I said 'happy birthday', if I don't see him first."

"Okay." Before leaving the store, I turn around one last time so I can wave at Taylor.

"Good seeing you, Four!" he shouts, when I'm already out on the street.

I half-walk, half-run to the path that leads to the beach, not realizing I'm muttering to myself until the few people I come across start giving me strange looks. Luckily, when I reach the dirt trail that runs across a pinewood, I see that no one's there- I'm one of the few that use this path, anyway-, meaning at least I won't become known for talking to myself.

How dare Glimmer make this kind of assumptions? It's not like I share all my life with her, even if we are roommates!

_She's just worried about you_, I tell myself, as the pine needles crack under my sandals. It's funny how much I like this place, even though I was never a person that likes to hang out near trees. _And it's not like Marvel has said anything…_

As soon as I finally step on the white sand of the deserted beach and catch sight of the calm surface of the ocean, I forget about my problems, and begin feeling happy for no reason again. I put down my bag and remove my dress, before wrapping Marvel's gift and the pills in it, so that I can empty the bag and take it with me to the water.

At first I retract at how cold the water feels on my toes, but the moment I get used to it, I dive under a wave and begin swimming. For a second, I just blow bubbles from my nose and lazily move my arms and legs, taking in how everything around me just seems so familiar that I could pretend I'm home. My fingers brush the sand below, as I pick up the prettiest shells I can find, my hair floating around me and tickling my back.

After about thirty minutes of my scavenger hunt, I have enough shells to make necklaces for the next week, so I just choose to swim around with no specific destiny; I concentrate on the sound of my feet splashing on the water as I swim on my back, blocking out everything else, until suddenly I feel something touch me on my lower back.

My eyes shoot open and I shriek- my first thoughts always go to a shark or a deadly jellyfish, even though I know it's impossible to find one so close to the shore- before losing my concentration and swallowing a gulp of salty water.

"Don't worry, it's me!" Marvel hushes, pulling me from the water so I can stand as I burst into a coughing fit.

"You have to stop doing that!" I cry, once I've recovered enough from the shock.

"What?" he asks, trying to look sheepish- and failing.

"Sneaking up on me." I take a deep breath, in an attempt to steady my heartbeat.

"Not today," Marvel says, grinning, as he hooks an arm around my waist and pulls me against him. "Today I can sneak up on you as many times as I want."

"And why is that?" I ask innocently.

Marvel pretends to be disappointed, but I notice one of the corners of his lips curls up at my words. "Because… it's a Monday?"

"Right." I kiss him lightly on the lips. "Happy birthday."

Marvel raises an amused eyebrow, never letting go of me. "I was starting to think you had forgotten."

"For a moment I did," I say, as I run a finger along his strong arm. Marvel has been spending a lot of time under the sun, since he likes to keep me company when I come down here, so now his skin has a striking golden tone, closer to mine. "You scared my pants off."

"That sounds great," he teases. "Maybe I should scare you more often."

"You're lucky it's your birthday, because next time I will-"

I don't manage to finish my sentence because Marvel seems to decide we've been talking for too long and just chooses to claim my lips with his, at the same time he lifts me from the ground; I wrap my legs around his waist and tangle my fingers behind his neck, pressing myself closer to him and deepening the kiss- feeling Marvel's solid body against mine is even more comforting than swimming, and that's saying a lot.

Marvel lets out a small grunt against my mouth- I feel it all the way down to my curled up toes- and pulls away for a fraction of second, studying me, before I drag his head back down. Then he starts walking, with me still clinging to his shoulders; my head is spinning so much that I don't realize we've hit the sand until Marvel carefully lays me on my back- I blink, confused, at the blue sky above, and he climbs on top of me, his knees and one of his arms keeping him from falling and hurting me. I run my palms over the lean muscles of Marvel's back, feeling him tense, just as he moves his free hand and runs it along my thigh; he seems to be kissing me in a more demanding way than usual, but I'm too much in a daze to care.

He brushes his lips against my jaw, lowering them to trace my neck and my shoulder, and before I know it, he's placed his hand over my bikini straps, slightly lifting my back from the sand.

"I've never done it on the beach," Marvel murmurs amusingly, though the hoarseness in his voice betrays him.

I giggle stupidly, but I stop as soon as I realize what he just said.

_He can't possibly mean…_ I think, just as he begins struggling with the knot that keeps the bikini top in its place.

_He does!_

I roll away so quickly that Marvel is caught off-guard and loses his balance, falling on his stomach as I sit up and cover my face.

_Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God._

"I… I…" I stammer, even though I'm not sure Marvel can hear me. I'm covered in sand from head to toe, but that's the least of my problems- right now I just want to be _anywhere _else.

He doesn't say a word, so as soon as I stop hyperventilating- although my heart is still racing against my ribs and I feel like my cheeks may burst into flames any minute- I peek through my fingers, wondering if he's too shocked to speak or if he's magically disappeared, for some reason- the latter seems more likely.

However, Marvel is still there, staring at me with concern- and, for once, with his face as red as I think mine is. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaims, reaching out his hand to me but retreating immediately. "Holy shit, I'm _really_ sorry," he repeats, running his fingers through his hair with frustration. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," I say weakly, incapable of removing my hands from my face.

"I… I don't know what came over me," he confesses, his face getting even redder. "You must think that I'm a total ass."

Finally, I lower my fingers, before shaking my head. "I don't," I assure him, finding my voice. "It's not like you kept going."

Marvel relaxes visibly, and lets out a relieved sigh. "Even so," he insists, "I should have asked you something sooner, I should-"

"It's just," I cut off. "It's just that I never-" My voice trails off. _Crap_. I never thought I would have this conversation so soon. Glimmer must be some kind of psychic, and is now laughing at me.

"Baby-face," Marvel says with his usual slightly cocky smile, even though his tone is soft and his eyes are filled with sincere kindness. "Are you a _virgin_?"

_Marvel_

Serena doesn't need to speak to answer my question- the way she immediately lowers her eyes speaks louder than any words. Then she nods, confirming it, still not daring to meet my gaze. I hesitate, but end up approaching her and putting an arm around her shoulders. Serena doesn't retract at my touch or pushes me away, so I take that as a good sign and rest my chin on top of her head.

A part of me isn't surprised: Serena always had a trace of innocence, even in our most passionate moments- like now, for instance-, but I never dared to assume anything out of it, not wanting to be unfair with her. What if I was wrong? Not that there's a problem with that- I'm not the pinnacle of virtue myself, in more ways than I'd like. Quite the contrary.

On the other hand, I can't help but be taken aback by how fragile Serena suddenly looks, and how she ran away from me like a scared bird.

I can't believe I lost control and did something that upset her.

"I had a couple of relationships in my life," she starts in a low voice. "Nothing serious- I had a policy of not getting attached to anyone, and I scared boys off after a while with my lonely attitude anyway…"

I gently brush my lips against her forehead. "You don't owe me any explanations."

"Okay." Serena looks up, her eyes wide. "From what you said, I can deduce that this is not your case."

I shift uncomfortably, memories of a shrill voice calling me 'Marvy-pie' suddenly coming back to haunt me. "Right," I say tensely. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"Of course not." Serena snuggles closer to me, seemingly unaware that I'm covered in sand. "At least when the time comes, one of us will know what they're doing." She chuckles a little to mark her words, but I notice she's still a little nervous.

"Hey." I hold her chin and pull it up, so that I can look directly at her. "Don't worry about that, okay? I'll wait for as long as it takes." Serena's face lights up with a smile, telling me I guessed exactly what was still bothering her. "Just let me know when you're ready."

"I will." Serena kisses me on the cheek, before climbing to her feet and raising her hand to touch her hair. "Now let's get in the water and get this sand off us. We look like a couple of croquettes."

I arch my eyebrows. "You're making me hungry."

Serena's smile broadens. "I know." Suddenly, she seems to remind something. "I almost forgot!"

"What?" I ask, as she puts down her bag next to a pile of clothes and begins roaming through it, before finding whatever she's looking for and hiding it behind her back.

"This," she replies, holding out a pair of red gloves that, from what I can tell, are handmade. "I'm sorry they're so crappy-looking," she mumbles. "I thought you'd like something you could use."

"I love them," I say sincerely- she's gone through so much work, and she's even remembered red is my favorite color. And just by looking at the gloves, I can tell they are a perfect fit. "Thank you."

Serena beams, delighted, suddenly earning the nickname I gave her. "I bet you're still unable to beat me in a swimming race," she teases, further proving that.

"We'll see about that." I wink at her, before she turns around and darts towards the waves; I shake my head and follow her, suddenly remembering our moments by the pool.

Sometimes I wish we could have that innocence back.

* * *

**Hey! I hope you guys liked this chapter, even though it is a little shorter than the others.**

**I'm sorry this took me so long to update, but college has been keeping me too busy to come here. I still have a lot of work to do, so I will only keep uploading a chapter a week if enough people are interested- so please, let me know what you think of this story (even if you think it's shitty!). **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


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